Until He Comes
READ
The disciples had just witnessed forty days of resurrection appearances. They'd seen Jesus alive, touched His wounds, eaten with Him, received His teaching. Now, on a mountainside outside Jerusalem, they asked the question burning in their minds: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
Let’s take a moment to read Acts 1:6-11:
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
REFLECT
They wanted a timeline. They wanted to know when the waiting would end, when the Kingdom would fully arrive, when everything would finally be made right. It's the same question we ask: "How long, Lord?"
Jesus' answer was both frustrating and clarifying: "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." In other words, the timeline isn't your concern. Then He immediately redirected them to what should be their concern: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Here's the pattern: Don't worry about when I'm returning. Focus on what you're doing until I return. You have a mission, and you've been given everything you need to accomplish it.
This is the tension we live in—what theologians call the "already and not yet." The Kingdom has come in Christ. He's defeated sin, death, and Satan. He's made reconciliation possible. Resurrection has begun. But the Kingdom is not yet fully realized. We still experience sickness, injustice, sorrow, and death. Creation still groans, waiting for its liberation.
Into this tension, the Church is sent. We are the body of Christ—His physical presence in the world now that He's ascended to the Father. We bring His life, His love, His healing, His justice into every corner of creation. We're not just waiting for Jesus to return and fix everything. We're actively participating in the renewal He's already begun.
Think about Revelation 21's vision: "Behold, I am making all things new." Not replacing all things, but renewing them. God isn't abandoning this world; He's restoring it. The New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth, uniting heaven and earth forever. Our eternal destiny isn't to escape earth for heaven but to experience heaven and earth united as God always intended.
This should create urgency in how we live today. The work you do matters—not just spiritual work but all of it. When you create beauty, you're anticipating the renewal. When you pursue justice, you're bringing Kingdom values into the present. When you make disciples, you're populating the new creation. When you care for creation, you're stewarding what will be restored. Nothing done in faith is wasted.
But it should also create endurance. The Kingdom's delay isn't a problem; it's God's patience, giving more people time to respond to His grace. The waiting is part of the mission. And knowing that Christ will return to consummate what He's begun gives us hope when the work feels overwhelming or the darkness feels thick.
So here's the question that should orient your entire life: How am I sent? What is my mission in this season? You've been positioned in specific places, given specific gifts, surrounded by specific people—all by divine design. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, empowering you to be His witness wherever you are.
Until Jesus comes again, you have purpose. Your life isn't on hold until heaven. Your work isn't just a way to pass time until eternity. You are part of God's redemptive plan right now, bringing His Kingdom to bear on the world He loves, embodying the life of the age to come in the age that is.
The same Jesus who ascended will return. Until that day, He sends you—filled with His Spirit, carrying His message, doing His work, preparing the world for His coming.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
How does the promise of Christ's return shape the way you live today? Does it create urgency, hope, or endurance in you—or something else?
In what ways have you been tempted to see your current life as "just waiting" rather than actively participating in God's mission?
Considering your whole life—work, relationships, resources, time—what is your specific mission in this season? Where and to whom are you sent?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Lord Jesus, thank You that my life has purpose until You return. Thank You that You've not left me alone but filled me with Your Spirit to be Your witness in my world. Help me live with both urgency and endurance, knowing that everything I do in Your name matters for eternity. Show me clearly where I'm sent and give me courage to embrace that mission fully. Come quickly, Lord Jesus—and until You do, use me for Your glory. Amen.