“Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:6-15, NASB)

Jesus is coming very soon. He said he will, and I believe his words. It says in today’s reading,

“And he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true’; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place. ‘And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.’ And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book; worship God.’ And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’ Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. ‘Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’ Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

In verse 12, Jesus promises us, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” These words appear in this chapter three times. What’s more, the angel who showed John the vision also said, “These words are faithful and true.” So, the second coming of Christ is certainly for real, but the question is, “How soon is soon?” Did he not say, “I am coming quickly?” So, how quickly is Jesus coming if he said these words almost two thousand years ago?

Peter’s insights help us understand why the Lord appears slow to fulfill his promises. He writes, “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet.3:9). The picture here is that although the time for Jesus’ coming has come, but he is waiting and saying, “Just one more soul.” However, the Lord will not delay his coming for too long, for he has a promise to keep! In other words, in the words “I am coming quickly,” you can literally see the tug-of-war between his compassion for the lost and his commitment to keep the promise! The trumpet sound and the voice of the archangel can sound off at any moment. It could be today that God’s angels will go forth to gather the elect to meet the Lord in the air, and “the things which must shortly take place” will begin.

What about the “rewards” that Jesus promised to bring with him? What kind of rewards can we look forward to at his coming? The interesting thing about rewards is that not everyone who goes to heaven will receive them. If everyone who goes to heaven receives them, then it can no longer be called rewards. That is called a “consolation prize,” something given to everyone for participating. Rewards, on the other hand, are prizes given to people based on what they have done. Paul writes, “If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor.3:14-15). If you have chosen to be in heaven with Jesus, doesn’t it make sense to live in such a way to receive rewards there as well?

The Bible talks about those rewards in terms of “crowns” we will receive: the crown of life (Ja.1:12), the crown of exultation (1 Thess.2:19), the crown of righteousness (2 Tim.4:8), the crown of glory (1 Pet.5:4), and the wreath imperishable (1 Cor.9:25). And with the crown comes all the blessings that are tied to it. It would look awkward if you walked around with no crowns on your head while everyone else did. Further, it would look even more awkward when everyone falls to their knees to crown Jesus with many crowns, and you have no crown to cast at his feet (Rev. 4:10). Jesus is coming very soon, and with him his rewards and eternal life. It may be sooner than you think.

• Why do you think Jesus said he is “coming quickly,” but has not for over 2,000 years?
• How would you change your life if Jesus told us he would come within one year?