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Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ~ Luke 17:22
Those who have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus long for His return. We are not just waiting, we are looking and anticipating every day. We live in expectation everyday. We anticipate of His physical return and presence. We live looking forward to a realm without sin. This is the effect of His spiritual kingdom come to our hearts.
Today's text begins with, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man." God's kingdom is only for those who have experienced His spiritual kingdom. At the end of the seven year tribulation, the Lord Jesus will return to earth with all the Old Testament Saints and those who were raptured to Him before the Tribulation. At that time He will set up His reign on earth for a thousand years. This time is known as the Millennium described in Revelation 20.
There will be people born during His millennial kingdom. And, even though the world will be dominated by righteousness and peace and blessing and joy, there will still be those who will not believe. They will, at the end of that 1,000 years, be led by Satan who will be released from being bound for that 1,000 years. He will lead a final rebellion against the Lord Jesus who will prevail over Satan and those who oppose Him. The universe will melt with fervent heat and then the Lord will create a new heaven and the new earth.
But the kingdom to come will only be for those who are in His spiritual kingdom. In our text the Lord Jesus describes the nature of that kingdom which is here and is yet to come. Here is a description of the nature of His kingdom which is to win the human heart from the inside out.
Now, a brief overview of the book of the Revelation reveals the presence of the church in Revelation 1-3. Then, in Revelation 4-5, the church is in heaven gathered around the throne. How did the church get in heaven? The Rapture which is different than the Second Coming. In Revelation 6 the scene shifts back to earth and all hell breaks out on earth in a series of judgments. Seven seals are broken and out of them come seven judgments. Out of the seventh seal, toward the end of the seven-year period comes seven trumpet blasts, further judgments, which are more intense. Out of the seventh trumpet comes seven bowl judgments. Out of these bowls, judgement is dumped out onto the earth in rapid fire til the very end.
Revelation 6-19 describes the judgment of God being poured out onto the earth. And then in Revelation 19:11, the Lord appears in the heavens, and then in Revelation 20, He comes to earth and sets up His Kingdom. His millennial kingdom lasts for 1,000 years after which He puts down the rebellion by Satan and those born in the kingdom who rejected the Lord Jesus. God will destroy the whole universe and creates the new heaven and the new earth.
There's a weariness in this world and the longer we live in it, the more we long for His coming. But, as the Lord Jesus says in v.22, "you will not see it," it's delayed. The delay is in concert with His will and it creates anticipation in the hearts of believers. This is the inner working nature of His kingdom. Whether we are waiting for the Rapture or the Second Coming, we long for His appearing. This is revealing.
I find it quite instructive that God is always the one initiating relationship with man. In Acts 17:26-27 we read, "From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
Then in John 3:17 we read, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." God has always been intent upon giving man a chance to respond to His initiation to relate, be it Adam, Abraham, Jacob or you and me, His heart seeks us out.
The essence of our relationship with God must come from the heart. Our faith is not meant to be built on our works or our understanding, but rather on God’s relentless pursuit of us. We have relationship with our Creator not because we sought him out, but because He is always pursuing us. Any elements of Christian spirituality at work in our lives are the result of His constant grace drawing us deeper and deeper into the abundant life the Lord Jesus died to give us. Faith built on anything else but God’s pursuit is faith built on our own strength which will always produce an unsure and consistently failing foundation.
God is after our hearts right now. He daily knocks on the door of our hearts. This is the nature of His kingdom, and will be the nature of His kingdom for eternity. More important to Him than anything we can do for Him is His desire to show us how much His heart is for us. This type of love and intimacy has a profound effect on our hearts. We find ourselves responding to His pursuit of us by giving to Him our hearts. Sadly, there will those who will never see His heart for them and they will reject Him and they will spend eternity separated from Him.
