Search This Blog

What does it mean that Jesus is coming soon?

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Revelation 3:11
The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.  Revelation 11:14
“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”  Revelation 22:7
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” Revelation 22:12
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  Revelation 22:20
Soon means soon.  The Greek word is "tachos" and it means quickly…very nearly. . .just around the corner. . .in a short amount of time. . .
Jesus will come quickly, meaning when he arrives it will be fast, without warning.  It also means that every day that passes gets closer to his arrival.  It will happen sooner than later.
Could Jesus be saying that in a matter of years he was coming in judgment on the nation of Israel or did it mean 2,000 years from when he said it?
2,000 years doesn’t feel very soon.  40 years seems sooner.
In Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of his coming?” Jesus responded that a judgment would occur on the nation of Israel, specifically on the temple, where one stone would not be left on the other. In 70 AD, Jesus’ prophecy came true when the Romans tore down the temple and the city walls, burning the city beyond recognition.
Jesus came in judgment. Rome was his instrument of judgment.  How soon did that occur?  Approximately 37 years later.  Is that soon enough?   It’s better than 2,000 years, but not quite soon enough.
Then, in the letter of Revelation, Jesus said over and over that he was coming soon. It appears to be same imminent “coming” as he spoke about in Matthew.
If the letter of Revelation was written in 67 or 68 AD, then he was really coming soon in 70 AD.  Two or three years is definitely soon.

While many argue over the date of the letter of Revelation, the “soonness” of Jesus coming is the best argument that it was written before 70 AD.