In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2-3).

In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!" (2 Peter 3:3-4).

Every Sunday we say we believe it: "I believe ... he will come again to judge the living and the dead." But do our words mean anything to us? Do they have any effect on our attitudes and actions? Do we even think about what we are saying? Or has our recitation of the creed become so automatic that the words pour out of our mouths without going through the brain?

After all, Christians have been awaiting the imminent return of Christ for almost 2,000 years. We have been advised again and again - and not only by religious leaders - that the end of the world is almost here: It is only a minute or two before the stroke of midnight. Some have even announced the exact date when Jesus would come again.

But nothing has happened; the world goes on as it always has. We seem to be like the character in the drama, Waiting for Godot, who throughout the whole play is expecting a visitor. But when the curtain falls Godot has failed to appear.

Because Christians have been waiting in vain so long, most of us rarely think about the Second Coming. No longer are we eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus. We have come to assume that it won't be any time soon. We may even begin to wonder whether he is going to come at all. In any case, is this anything that we need to be concerned about? What difference does it make to us when - or if - Jesus returns?

The writers of the Bible thought it was important. The return of Jesus to earth is referred to in the New Testament more often than almost any other Christian teaching. Someone has calculated that one in every 25 verses refers to this subject. The frequency of mention indicates that Christ's return was not only a solidly held belief but was considered of great importance to Christians.

This is true not only of the early believers but of Jesus himself. He spoke often of his return. When he was trying to prepare his disciples for the shock of his crucifixion, he assured them that although it was necessary for him to leave them, he would come back. Clearly, Jesus was referring to more than his leaving them in death, for he explained that he was going away in order to prepare a place for them and that he would send his Spirit to take his place in the interim.

One of the most direct statements on the subject came when Jesus was being questioned by the Sanhedrin after his arrest. The high priest put Jesus under oath and asked what he claimed about himself: "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus took seriously the authority of the religious leader to demand a truthful answer, for it is one of the few times he responded to questioning after he was seized. His answer, given under oath, was paired with an assertion that he would return to earth from the presence of God with the very power and glory of God. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:63-64 NIV).

Earlier Jesus had made the same assertion to his disciples when they had asked him about the end of the age: "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30).

At other times Jesus spoke of the need for his followers to be ready at all times for his coming, for it would be "at an unexpected hour" (Matthew 24:44). He declared that his return would bring judgment on evildoers" (Matthew 25:31ff). He wondered whether there would be any believers left when he came back (Luke 18:8). Some of his parables tell of the temporary absence and return of an individual of great importance for whom people should be watchfully waiting - an apparent reference to himself. Directly and indirectly Jesus repeatedly spoke of his eventual coming again.

At the ascension of Jesus, the angels also spoke of his return, assuring the disciples that they would see their Lord again: "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

The early Christians believed implicitly that Jesus would return to earth. In fact, they looked for him to come in the immediate future, within years at most - surely within their lifetime. Thus the apostle, writing to Titus, said that he was waiting for the appearing of the Lord (Titus 2:13). James advised, "Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord ... Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near" (James 5:7-8). The writer to the Hebrews assures us that Christ "will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:28). The Book of Revelation gives repeated pictures of the victorious Christ who comes in glory to judge and to rule.

Why was the return of Christ so important to these early believers? Why is it an important element of faith for us at the present time?

To proclaim the Second Coming of Jesus can be beneficial for us in many ways:

+It turns our attention to Christ.+It gives us courage to face difficulties.+It inspires us to confident Christian living.

It turns our attention to Christ - away from ourselves.

All of us tend to think mostly about ourselves; we concentrate on our own problems, our needs, our desires. The more we center our thoughts on ourselves, the more important our needs become to us, and the more worried and frustrated we become as we try, with little success, to meet them. In addition, the more we think about ourselves, the less we think about God. If we put ourselves and our interests at the center of our lives, there is no room there for Christ; we can't serve two masters or have two primary priorities in life.

In contrast, Christians are to center their lives in Christ and his will. The writer to the Colossians put it this way: "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:2-3). Jesus urged his disciples, "Abide in me as I abide in you" (John 15:4). He prayed, "As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us ..." (John 17:21). Paul spoke repeatedly of being "in Christ." He resolved "to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ ..." (1 Corinthians 2:2) and said, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). John wrote, "Let what you have heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father" (1 John 2:24).

To dwell on the return of Christ is one way to keep him in the center of our lives. When we think about his coming again, we are reminded of what Christ has done - how he has already defeated the enemy, and that in spite of the evil that still troubles us, he is even now the supreme ruler of all. It only remains for him to return and to claim his kingdom. This realization strengthens our faith and helps us to put our troubles in perspective.

Christ's power, which was exhibited in his life and resurrection and will be evident again in his return, carries us through this life to share glory with him. But only a faith that is anchored in Christ enables us to reach this goal. "This is the victory that conquers the world, our faith," said John (1 John 5:4). When our life is "hid in Christ" we are "more than conquerors, through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

It gives us courage to face difficulties.

The Bible tells us not to be surprised by troubles that may come to us in life. On the contrary, it warns us that we may expect our situation as Christians to get worse as time goes on. But scripture also assures us that in the end God's kingdom will be established and justice will prevail. This outcome will be accomplished by the triumphant return of Christ, who will subdue every opponent.

In other words, the message of Christ's coming gives hope to people who struggle through the problems and defeats of life. If we didn't have this assurance, we might be tempted to give up the struggle. Or we might be driven to a frenzied effort to overcome the world's evils by ourselves. This would inevitably lead to despair or cynicism.

But we can endure almost anything if we are sure something better awaits us - if we have hope. Blacks in America and South Africa were able to sing "we shall overcome" in the midst of continued oppression because they had a confident hope that justice would eventually win out. Similarly we can persevere in the face of life's difficulties in the assurance that Christ will come to free us from this world's ills and establish everlasting justice.

This assurance is uppermost in scriptural discussions of the Second Coming. Peter wrote, "By his great mercy he (God) has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5). He added, "And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away" (1 Peter 5:4).

Speaking of the Lord's coming, Paul said, "Then each one will receive commendation from God" (1 Corinthians 4:5). Colossians assures us, "When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). Jesus himself promised, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22). After speaking of the resurrection hope, Paul exhorted the Corinthians, "Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

It inspires us to confident Christian living.

The promise of the Second Coming is not simply "pie in the sky" - a message to persuade us to accept suffering in this life passively in the hope that in the future God will balance accounts. The assurance that Christ will return has a beneficial effect on our lives right now. As we contemplate the blessings we have already received and those prepared for us in the future, we are inspired to live thankful lives in service to God. John wrote, "All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). Peter said, "The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers" (1 Peter 4:7). "Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God ...?" (2 Peter 3:11-12).

Because our human nature is still with us, we are prone to become lazy in our faith. The promise of Christ's return motivates us to greater diligence in using God's gifts to maintain our relationship with Christ and do his will. This in turn makes our own lives more satisfying and enables the communion of saints to exhibit more fully the mutually loving and helpful relationship that God intends for us all.

Christ has promised that he will return. God is faithful; God always keeps promises. Therefore we don't need to worry that it won't happen. The promises of a Messiah took centuries to be fulfilled, but Jesus did come with blessings beyond expectation. The eventual fulfillment of the promise of the Second Coming will again bring blessings that exceed our imagination.

The message of the Second Coming is primarily one of encouragement to Christians as they strive to remain faithful to their Lord. It is good news! Christ is coming again! Not to suffer, but to reign. He brings with him blessing and victory for all who are his.

Lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near!