Why Has Jesus Not Returned Yet?

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

When people wonder why The Lord hasn't returned yet, this passage gives us insight as to why. This letter is addressed to Christians in the 1st century, but has obvious relevance for us today. First of all, it shows that God's timing is not our timing. God lives outside space and time and not according to our time table. You may have heard this already, but it bears repeating. There are two types of time in the Greek language. "Chronos" time represents time that keeps rolling on. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and so on and so on. This time will keep ticking until the day God decides to bring an end to time.

On the other hand is "kairos" time, which is often characterized as the "right time", or the "opportune time". So the point is that we often confuse the two. When someone says, "The Lord is coming soon" it could mean in terms of literal time, or that God's time is near. Bottom line is God's timing is different than ours, which is why trying to predict a literal day of His return is so futile. Some might says it is sinful to presume to know what only God knows.

Finally, the passage says that God is not slow as some understand slowness to be. But God is patient not wanting any to perish but everyone to come to repentance. This is one of the most significant passages in the bible. Why? When someone says, "I hope The Lord returns soon, it is so bad out there!" Are they considering that The Lord is maybe tarrying so that more people might come to know Him. So in this light, we might even say it would be selfish to think this way. If anybody has a loved one who has not come to repentance, they are more likely to thank God for his patience.

But here is the biggest takeaway from this passage. God wants no one to perish but all people to come to the truth. This in my opinion shows us that God doesn't predestine anyone to go to Hell. If God truly wants everyone to repent and believe this means there are some people who won't believe. But that doesn't mean God wasn't patiently waiting for them to come to a knowledge of the Truth. We serve a patient and loving God, who loves all people the same. Fortunately God was patient with us right?

So the question is do we think like God? Are we patient with people not wanting anyone to perish, but all people to come to eternal life? And if so how does this change we look at the lost? Do we care about them as much as He does? Do we write people off because we have lost patience? I believe if we truly understand God's heart in this, it will completely change the we look at those around us. What do you think?

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