We’re vacationing for a few days at the beach. Of course, one of the huge draws of the beach is the sunrise. It is a mighty thing to see. People gather early on to claim their sand spot to watch it happen. Even folks who don’t usually darken the sandy shore turn out for it. Folks throw their towels east and take a seat, remove their flip flops, or stand in place in anticipation, almost at attention, reverence, awe — think holy ground. As folks are readying, they pull their phones out and adjust them for the big moment. Some even put their backs to east and take selfies with the pink sky in the background.
Those who come to watch the sunrise have gone to a bit of effort to do so. Waking early, traveling to the beach, seeking out the best view, all before 6:17 am. It may seem like a good bit of effort for a brief moment in time. Luckily, our place at the beach has a balcony that looks out onto the ocean so I can sip my coffee and sea (get it!) the wonders of God. It is quite magnificent.
One thing I noticed though 6:17…6:18…6:19…6:20…6:21…6:22…6:23..6:24…
By 6:22 you can slide a slip of paper between the sun and the ocean. Bam! In a matter of 6 minutes, the view has gone from a pink hint, to up in the sky fully reflected, to obscured by the clouds. By 6:24 time is unfrozen, towels have been shaken, chairs folded, flip flops on, and the figures in the sand move on to the next part of their day having left no evidence of their presence . But, part of the phenomenon of the sunrise is that if you stare at the sun, which we know what our momma’s said, but if we do, we can actually see it moving. It happens just that fast.
It’s a great reminder of another event that will happen just that fast, the return of the King:
This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. Revelation 1:7
Soon, or which must shortly come. The Greek word for soon is tachos and it means the speed or the pace with which something will happen. It means a brief space of time, haste, quickly. It’s not a length of time. It doesn’t mean when something will happen but how something will happen. This verse means the events that Jesus is speaking about will happen in quick succession. In a blink of an eye. Kind of like the sunrise. One minute you’re looking at a pink sky, a hint of things to come and the next minute the Son is here. There’s no time to get ready, no time to spread out our towels, open our chairs, remove our shoes, or take our selfies. When the Son arrives, it will be too late. There will be no second chances to prepare for His arrival.
Against this beautiful picture of hope, this does sound a little like a doomsday message, doesn’t it? Well, it is. For those who are unprepared, those who are willful, stubborn, defiant, selfish, idolaters, evil, (which we all were before we followed Christ – remember, it’s all in or all out, no walking the fence), and if we’re honest, some of which we easily slip back into if we’re not careful, when the Son appears, there will only be darkness. Final darkness. No pink in the sky. No hint of reflection. No beautiful picture of hope. Forever darkness.
Wow, how’d we get from a most beautiful sunrise to all darkness, you say? She’s a Debby-downer, you say? Jesus is love, you say? Jesus is kind, you say? Jesus will take care of my problems, you say? All of this is true, however, if you haven’t turned your life over to Christ, if you haven’t repented of your sins and asked for forgiveness, if you only dipped your toe in the Living Water, you are living in darkness. Plain and simple. Sure, we think we can go on living in this world and His world all at the same time, but we can’t. Light and dark cannot coexist. If we put off living in the Light, we may just be caught unprepared for the arrival of the Son.
You see, there’s no guarantee the sun will appear in the sky day after day. But, there is a guarantee that the Son will appear again one day. It’s a promise. If we are not ready, it will be too late.
Look, I am coming soon! Revelation 22:7
See, I am coming soon. Revelation 22:12
Yes, I am coming soon. Revelation 22:20
Those are red letters. Straight from Jesus lips. Look. See. Yes. He is coming again. But, until He comes, there’s still time to prepare. There’s still time to open your chair and pull it up to the table. There’s still time to shake out your towels. Remove our shoes to stand on the holy ground. There’s still time to run to the shore. Think about it. The Son will appear, don’t just wish you’d been ready – prepare now so you don’t miss it!
