It won’t be long now

Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider ventured a glimpse into the future together with the brothers and sisters in Vanadzor in Armenia on 19 July 2024. The service took place on a Friday and he based his sermon on Revelation 22: 20: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

I am coming soon

The Son of God affirmed the truth of the Apostles’ sermon, the Chief Apostle explained. Jesus said, “Surely, I am coming quickly. What the Apostles preach when they talk about the coming of the Lord is not some nice story. It is not something they invented. It is not a New Apostolic invention. It is My promise. I Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who conquered death and hell, I who am the truth, say to you: I will be there soon.”

By confirming the Apostles’ preaching, Christ is not inferring that He will somehow intervene in the world and its problems. Jesus clearly said, “That is not My job, that is not My kingdom. I have come to bring you eternal life.” Sure, Jesus listens to the questions of God’s children, the Chief Apostle said, but His help consists of taking us out of this world and leading us into His kingdom, where there will be no more distress, suffering, or pain.

Jesus’ affirmation applies to every single one of us: “Jesus Christ gives you personal confirmation today: ‘I want you to be with Me forever. I am coming to take you with Me, even if you have done everything wrong, even if you have forgotten Me. For Me nothing has changed. I am coming to get you. I want you to be with Me. Do you want this?’”

And nothing can stop this, the Chief Apostle explained. “Sometimes we have the impression that the Lord Jesus cannot come because of the way the world is and the way the Church is today.” Jesus counters this, “I don’t need to wait for something to change in the world. I am coming soon, and My return is not dependent on human beings. I will come on the day I have decided.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

By saying “Amen”, believers underscore their agreement with Jesus and thereby testify that they believe in the imminent return of the Son of God. Is that the case with us too? Sometimes we have the impression that God, in His love, is waiting for us to be ready. Or maybe we have been waiting so long that we no longer believe in His return. “Let us be strong in faith and firmly believe in the return of Jesus,” the Chief Apostle exhorted. “Jesus Christ confirms: ‘I am coming.’ And we tell Him, ‘Surely, I believe it.’”

“We can always come to the good Lord with our worries,” the Chief Apostle reminded the congregation. But the most important thing should be the return of Jesus. “This is the help we are waiting for. We do not receive all the answers here. Nor do we receive explanations for everything, but we agree.”

Referring to Matthew 13: 24–30, which speaks of the tares growing alongside the wheat, the Chief Apostle pointed out, “As human beings we would like a bit more order. We would like to clear the field of all the weeds and pull them up. But the good Lord tells us, ‘No, it is not for you to say who is good and who is bad, who is faithful and who is unfaithful. You must love them all. Everyone can come to Me.’”

Our Amen also shows Jesus: “Until You return, we will continue to live according to Your teaching and Your word—no matter how the world behaves.” It is a promise: “I will live by Your word and put Your teaching into practice in my daily life.”

The Chief Apostle reminded the congregation to remember that grace is essential for salvation, because without it no one can be perfect. “We all know what we must do to receive grace: we must be humble towards our neighbour and have the firm will to forgive our neighbour. If I know that I need grace, it is not difficult for me to be humble before God and my fellow human beings and to ask the Lord: ‘Lord, grant me grace.’”

When He returns, Jesus will recognise by our love who is ready to go with Him into His kingdom. “We know why the Lord Jesus is coming to take us to Himself: because He loves us and wants to help and redeem us. But also because He wants to send us into the thousand-year kingdom of peace as kings and priests to contribute to the salvation of all human beings.”

Thoughts to take along

“If I know that the Lord Jesus is coming soon, I will do everything I can to prepare myself for this task. Already today I must have this wish that all people will be helped,” the Chief Apostle said and called on everyone to think about the following: “How important is to me that my neighbour can also find grace and obtain salvation? What am I doing to be a true witness of Christ for my neighbour and letting him or her know that God loves them?”