Our Promise Keeping God

December 17

The expectation for the return of Jesus Christ to Earth is not new with our generation. The apostles were anticipatory of His soon return; they expected Him to come before they were martyred for their faith. Through all the generations since their time, believers have read the words of the Bible and concluded that the Lord will indeed come again.

Some of the scripture upon which this hope is based include those of Romans 8:22 where the Apostle Paul says, “For we know the whole creation has been groaning as in the pangs of childbirth up until this present time.”

Paul goes on to declare in I Thessalonians 4:15-18: “I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are alive when the Lord returns will not rise to meet Him ahead of those who are in their graves. The Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout and with the call of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. First, all the Christians who have died will arise from their graves, then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we shall all be with Him forever, so comfort and encourage each other with these words."

The Bible also says, “When you see these things, look up, for your redemption draws nigh,” Mark 13:29, and the very human inclination is to be overwhelmed with fear at the thought of the calamity that is befalling the earth, but we must be bold as the Psalmist David who says in Psalm 27:

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life....

Yes, our Earth is groaning with birth pangs. Frightful things are happening to believers simply because of their faith in Jesus, but be encouraged, for our Lord and Savior is coming soon!

The devil and his human minions are desperately trying to circumvent Christ’s return. They are endeavoring to move the Temple site; they scheme to divide the Holy City of Jerusalem. A cemetery has been placed at the spot where Jesus is prophesied to return because a High Priest is not supposed to tread among the deceased. But no scheme of hell or of man can stop the Holy One from returning at His appointed time!

The prophecy in Ezekiel about the valley of dry bones and the spirit of God breathing on them (Ezekiel 37) has been fulfilled. The prophecy of Isaiah proclaiming that a nation would be born in a day (Isaiah 66:8) was fulfilled on May 18, 1948. God has kept every promise to His people.

He has kept the Hebrew language alive through the Dispersion. Jerusalem has been reunited. God’s ancient people have brought to pass His promise that the desert would bloom like a rose (see Isaiah 35:1). He is a promise-keeping God! Every promise He has already kept assures us that Jesus will indeed keep His promise to return.