Written by Netisha Alie-Grant (Author of Walking a Two-Way street & The Essence of Life: God, Them, & Me!”
“So long I am hearing Jesus is coming soon and years have passed people have died, and He hasn’t come yet… is He really coming?!” -A common statement echoed by many. However is this truly what the statement means? Could it be that we have been misinterpreting this text?
It was my pastor; Prophet T R Grant who helped me to better understand this misconception when he preached about this some time ago. Then the Holy Spirit used this seed to show me how to explain this further.
Here goes…
In the English language there is a part of speech called adverbs and it’s job or function is to state:
- The manner (how),
- The place (where) and
- The time (when) of an action. (Verb)
Revelation 3:11 (King James Version)
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Revelation 20: 12 (NIV ) “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
In the statement Jesus is coming soon, the action verb “coming” is followed by “soon” which is operating as an adverb. However it is not stating a time (when) when Jesus is coming for the Bible says “no man knows the day or hour, not even the angels, only the Father knows…” -(Matthew 24:36) and it is definitely not stating the place (where) which is where Jesus will be coming, so then it is stating the manner (how) Jesus will return to the earth.
The Bible confirms this by stating that Jesus will come “like a thief in the night,”.
Revelation 16:15 (NIV)
15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.
The word “like” is used as a comparison (simile) saying that one thing is like or as another to create a more vivid image and increase understanding.
Some meanings of the word soon:
“….in a twinkling of an eye… pronto…” -Oxford languages
“Middle English sone, from Old English sona "at once, immediately, directly, forthwith," -etymonline.com
A thief doesn’t tell you when they are coming and nor do they come announcing their arrival or when you expect them to come. It is a sudden ‘get in and get out’ kinda action, along with an element of surprise. Check out the robbers in the movies. Hence we must always stay as prepared as we possibly can.
So to conclude, “Jesus is coming soon/quickly” isn’t a time for when He will return. So you can stop saying; “so long I’m hearing this and I am now old…” but instead do what the Bible said to do, stay awake, (ready, alert, prepared) watch, pray, and live for the Lord, because we don’t know the hour and it will happen so quickly we won’t see it coming. The only way not to miss it is to stay and live ready! C’est bon?!
