Come Back and Stay For Good This Time! 

“It is true that I am going away to prepare a place for you, but it is just as true that I am coming again to welcome you into my own home, so that you may be where I am.”
John 14:3 (Phillips)

Have you ever had a deep longing for something to happen really soon? All Christians, even in the first century AD had this same longing for Christ’s return, but in that day and age they expressed it simply in a one word Aramaic prayer, “Marana-tha,” which in English means, “Our Lord, come!”

Christians yearn for this return that Jesus promised in the scripture above. It’s a promise to come back and stay this time. To set up home here and have us all be where he is. He went away to prepare for this return. That was his reason for leaving! There are also times when our loved ones come to visit us and later as they prepare to leave, we wish they would stay. But we realise they have reasons for leaving, and so did Jesus.

Jesus I’m sure waits eagerly for the day of his return, as all Christians do; in fact this whole creation groans and yearns for the day when the children of God will be given their inheritance! (Romans 8:18-22). And perhaps for Jesus it will be like returning home again!

Notice in the scripture above he says, “I am coming again to welcome you in to my home, so that you may be where I am!” Isn’t that a great promise? This amazing promise is repeated often in scripture. Paul, writing to the early church in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says “One word of command, one shout from the archangel, one blast from the trumpet of God and the Lord himself will come down from Heaven!” But my question is will he come back and stay this time?

The Apostle John records in his prophetic writing in Revelation 21:3-4, “Then I heard a great voice from the throne crying, “See! The home of God is with men, and he will live among them. They shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death shall be no more, and never again shall there be sorrow or crying or pain. For all those former things are past and gone.” To me that sounds like a permanent arrangement—of Jesus coming back and staying this time!

With this amazing event to look forward to it is easy for us to become impatient while we wait. We humans don’t wait easily; we fuss, fret and get stretched out of shape, as you well know. Better just to pray the Aramaic prayer I mentioned earlier; “Marana-tha”—even so, “Come Lord Jesus!” Amen.

Prayer
Lord, we long for your return and are delighted that this time you will stay and live with us!
Amen

Study by Cliff Neill

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About the Author:
Cliff Neill is an Elder in Grace Communion Church Luton.

Local Congregation:
Grace Communion Church Luton
Farley Hill Methodist Church
North Drift Way
Farley Hill
LUTON LU1 5JE

Meeting Time:
Saturday 10:30am

Local Congregational Contact:
Harry Sullivan
Phone: 01908-582222
Email: harry_sullivan@wcg.org.uk