Patient for Our Sake

When it comes to the subject of studying Bible prophecy, sometimes we miss the point. We can become obsessed with things that we think are fulfillments of Bible prophecy but actually are not. We forget that Bible prophecy is not given to inflate our brains but to enlarge our hearts.

If we really understand what Bible prophecy is about, then it should cause us to want to live godly lives. The Lord is not late in returning to Planet Earth. He has just been patient with us.

Here’s what the Bible says: “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” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

God is waiting. I remember, back in the early 1970s, everyone was talking about Jesus’s return. We were praying, “Lord, come back!” Aren’t you glad that He didn’t answer our prayers? After all, there are a lot more people who have come to Christ since 1970.

I believe that someone somewhere walking Earth today will be the last person to believe before the Lord calls His Church home to Heaven. This is what we often call the Rapture of the Church. Writing about this event, the apostle Paul said, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves” (1 Thessalonians 4:16 NLT).

If you knew who the last person was who needed to come to faith in Christ before His return, it would be tempting to apply a little pressure on that person, wouldn’t it? Imagine sharing the Gospel with that person and leading him or her to Christ, and suddenly, we’re all in Heaven!

God is waiting for more people to believe.