hanks

5. In what ways do our sins give Satan inroads into us so he can control us? With believers, unconfessed sins give Satan a grip into our lives, and discredits our testimony, offends other believers, and harms us spiritually and physically. For example, we are warned not to let malice, anger, envy, hatred, or passion in our lives, giving Satan a foothold (Eph 4:27). He gets to us through the **** of the flesh, the **** of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16); all of which are not of the Father but of the world. These lusts seek to draw our own flesh away into sin and worldliness. They open the door for Satan, giving him inroads into us so that he can control us. The **** of the flesh includes sexual desire and covetousness, which proceed from within our evil nature. The **** of the eyes applies to such evil desires as may arise from what we see. Left unchecked, wrong desires will result in wrong actions and turn people away from God. Jesus warned us about lustful looking as sin (Mat 5:28). The pride of life is an unholy ambition for self-display and self-glory. Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. The three vices originate not in the Father but in the world, that is, from Satan. He will exploit any weakness. We are to resist him (James 4:7), and not give him a chance to win us over to his evil cause. With the help of Holy Spirit's power, we can resist the devil, and he will flee from us. We need to be in fellowship with our Lord, and for this to happen we are not to love the world and its hatred of Jesus. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them (1 John 2:15).

4. How can greed so overwhelm a person that he'll betray his Friend and Saviour for money (or drugs or ....)? In these verses we see the enormous power of the love of money. We see Judas being motivated by simple greed. In Matt 26:15 he asks the Jewish leaders what are they willing to give him if he delivers Jesus to them. This shows that Judas approached them and asked for money, which they agreed to do. Judas was acting as treasurer for the disciples, and in John 12:6 we read, “he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it”. Judas's life had become a lie, and the devil was gaining more and more control over him (John13:27). Satan's part in the betrayal of Jesus does not remove any of the responsibility from Judas. He was fond of money. He must have been there when Jesus warned us all about the dangers of greed; “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (12:15). He obviously took no notice of this warning. Paul called the love of money a root of all sorts of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). This love of money must be one of Satan choicest weapons for corrupting us and leading us astray. I can think of Ananias and Sapphira, but none can come close to the betrayal of our Saviour! Let us watch and pray against the love of money in our life. It is a subtle disease and can infect us easier than we can imagine. A poor person is just as liable to it as a rich person. It is possible to love money without having it, and it is possible to have it without loving it.

3. How does Judas enable Jesus' enemies to capture Him cleanly? (Luke 22:6) Luke has told us that Jesus’ enemies “were afraid of the people (22:2)." So, His capture had to be “when no crowd was present” (22:6). This was a vital stipulation of the Jewish leaders; in case a riot broke out. It had to be in secret. “Then Satan entered Judas” (22:3). Judas makes matters easier for them by volunteering to deliver their enemy to them secretly; that is, away from the crowds. This enables them to capture Him cleanly. To think he was one of our Lord chosen apostles, had followed Jesus throughout His ministry, had heard Jesus teach and had seen Christ’s miracles. This same person turns out to be a hypocrite, who betrays his Master, the Messiah, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ! Again, we notice God’s eternal plan coming together – here He used the evil deeds of Judas to help bring about the crucifixion of His Son.

2. In what way do the crowds of people protect Jesus from His enemies? Why do they want to kill Him? (Luke 22:2) At the time there were thousands of people in Jerusalem. Pilgrims had come from all over to attend the Passover. They also wanted to hear Jesus teaching in the temple. It was for this very reason that the Jewish leaders did not dare arrest Him – they were afraid of the people. Jesus was at this stage still very popular among the people and His arrest could easily trigger a riot, which the Romans would very quickly stamp out by force. So, in this respect the crowds of people protected Jesus from His enemies. We know that Jesus’ death would be timed according to God’s time-table and not that of the priests. They wanted to kill Jesus because He undermined their authority; He criticized the Scribes for their hypocrisy; He interfered with the lucrative money-changing schemes the chief priests had going; and they were jealous of His popularity, taking all the attention away from them, amongst many other reasons.

1. What kind of schedule does Jesus keep the last week of His life? (Luke 21:37-38) During these last days Jesus was busy during the day, teaching in the temple. The evenings, when He was not surrounded by thousands of people, were spent with His disciples on the slopes of Mount of Olives. He was not hiding; He was on a divine schedule and His time hadn’t come yet. Everything was going according to God’s plan. He had forewarned the disciples that He must die, that He will be crucified at Passover (Mat 26:1-2). Even as He was uttering the words, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders were gathering in the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest, to map out their strategy of killing Jesus (Mat 26:3-5).

Q28. (Philippians 2:5-11) Why did Jesus need to humble Himself to become a human being? What do you think it meant to Him to do this considering that He was divine? When He "emptied Himself," what all do you think that included? What can you learn from Christ's voluntary humbling Himself? Jesus humbled Himself to become a human being, so that He could be the perfect sinless Lamb of God, who would sacrifice His human life and shed His human blood to cover the sins of all who would ever believe in Him. God had established the necessity of the shedding of blood for the remission of sins (Lev 17:11; Heb 9:22). If He were not human, this would not have been possible. Jesus became fully human by taking on human flesh. He took on the form of a human, but His nature did not change. He was still God because He is immutable (Heb 13:8), and infinite (Rev 1:8). As a human He experienced normal aging (Luke 2:40), He had natural physical needs (John 19:28), He had human emotions (Matt 26:38), He learned (Luke 2:52), and He died a physical death (Luke 23:46). Jesus was human in every way except for sin; He lived a completely sinless life (Hebrews 4:15). In coming to earth Jesus remained fully God (Col 2:9), so when He “emptied Himself” He did not empty Himself of His divine attributes. Rather He gave up certain of His divine rights He had in heaven. He veiled His glory and added to His divine nature a human nature with all its limitations, except He had no sin. In the ultimate act of humility, the God of the universe became a human being and died for His creation. In this lesson Jesus has taught us a lot about humility. He also taught us that “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matt 23:12). There is also the warning in Scripture if we don’t humble ourselves, God will do it, and that can be even more painful (Luke 1:52; 18:14). I like what C.S. Lewis said: humility not as thinking less of ourselves, but as thinking of ourselves less.

Q27. (Matthew 1:21; Isaiah 53:4-6) In what sense has Jesus saved His people from their sins? What does Isaiah 53:6 teach us about how Jesus saved us from our sins? In what way is Jesus, like a sacrifice for sins? We cannot eliminate our sinful nature no matter how hard we try. Only Jesus can save us from our sin and its consequences; not to suffer the punishment we deserve, that is eternal death (Rom 6:23). He came to earth to die for our sins, in our place, to be our Saviour; to save us from the power and penalty of sin. This is called "substitutionary atonement." He saved His people by giving His life as a ransom for us. This happened because of our bondage to sin, and to set us free, He paid the ransom required with His life, thereby gaining our freedom from sin and punishment. His death satisfied all God’s righteous demands against sin – there was an exchange of our sin for His righteousness. This is only effective for those who accept our Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. In the Old Testament, people offered animals as sacrifices for their sins, in the same way God offered His Only Son as the sinless sacrificial Lamb that took away all sins - past, present, and future. Jesus suffered for our sake, bearing our sins to make us righteous before God.

Christmas Day. (John 1:1-14) According to John 1:1-2, when did Jesus first appear on the scene? How divine is He? What is the theological term describing Jesus becoming a human being? (verse 14). In what way does He bring us grace and favour from God? In what way does He demand that we acknowledge His truth? Jesus, God the Son, never was created. He has always existed. He has no beginning or end. He is God. He and the Father are One (John 10:30). Scripture teaches that there is one God and that there are three Persons in the Godhead - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three of these Persons are God. Everything was created by Jesus, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by our Lord Jesus, and everything was made for Him. He was before all else, and by Him everything is held together. He is the head of His body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that He would be above all others (Col 1:16-18). Jesus took on human flesh at a particular point in human history (John 1:14). Theologically referred to as the Incarnation. This was so that He could die for our sins (Gal 4:4-5). From the Incarnation onward, the eternal, uncreated Son is both truly God and truly man. But there was never a time when the Son did not exist. He was never created. Jesus always was and will forever remain “our great God and Saviour” (Titus 2:13). The only way any of us can enter into a relationship with God is because of His grace toward us. “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves” (Eph 2:8). And the only way we can come to the Father is through our Lord Jesus. “Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). This lovely verse makes it clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the way to heaven. He does not merely show the way; He is the way. He is the only Way. No one comes to the Father except through Him. We put our trust in Jesus for the Lord is the truth. He is not just One who teaches the truth; He is the truth. He is the embodiment of Truth. Those who have Christ have the Truth. It is not found anywhere else. Christ Jesus is the life. He is the source of life, both spiritual and eternal. Those who receive Him have eternal life because He is the Life. Merry Christmas and a blessed year ahead.

Q26. (Luke 2:39-52) Why do you think Luke feels it is important to tell a story from Jesus' boyhood. What do we learn about Jesus from this? Why is taking time to grow and prepare so important? Why are we so tempted to short-circuit it by our impatience? To show us His humanity. That as a child He was subject to the same growth that we experience. Like us, there is time needed for Him to grow in knowledge, strength, and character. He had to go through the same progression we do, so as to develop fully physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. Growth takes time. We often short-circuit this process by being in such a rush to get on with life. So, it is with our spiritual growth. We need our Heavenly Father to be with us, training us, parenting us, helping us, as we grow in Him. I often find myself foolishly not reading an instruction manual properly, being in such a hurry to use the new item I just bought. Only to later find out new features I had missed or even that I have not been using it properly. How stupid, I realise I must learn to be more patient.

Q25. (Daniel 7:13-14) What does the Ancient of Days grant to the Son of Man? Why do you think Jesus used the title of "Son of Man" even though most didn't understand its importance? What does Jesus' authority mean to you and your life? Our Heavenly Father crowns our Lord Jesus as King, and He is given authority, power and glory, so that all people of every nation and race would serve Him. He will rule forever, and His kingdom is eternal, never to be destroyed. I think Jesus often referred to Himself as “Son of Man” to show His humility, and His willingness to be respected “as a man”. Paul explains it well in Php 2:6-7, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness”. Christ’s humiliation included His making Himself nothing (that is He emptied Himself), taking the very nature of a servant, and being made in human likeness. Though His humanity was genuine, He was different from all other humans in that He was sinless (Heb 4:15). He has all authority as Son of Man to act on God’s behalf, as well as the authority on earth to forgive sins (Luke 5:24). This means I can trust our Lord Jesus Christ fully as my Saviour, and believe Him when He says, “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Contrary to what many are saying today: our Lord Jesus is not just one of many ways - He is the only Way, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. On top of this, our Lord is the truth; not One who teaches the truth - He is the truth. Those who have Christ have the Truth. It is not found anywhere else. Also, Jesus is the life. He is the source of life, both spiritual and eternal. Those who receive Him have eternal life because He is the Life.

Q24. (Matthew 2:13-23) What can we learn from Joseph's action? What should we have to know about the outcome before we say yes to God? How can a good God allow infants to be slaughtered in Bethlehem? Do you believe God honours them as martyrs for the Messiah? Joseph is a man who is used to obeying God without asking questions. He knows God is sovereign and fully trusts Him and obeys as soon as possible. In the same way our faith and trust should be complete, without any doubts at all. We don’t have to know the outcome, we are to trust Him with all our heart, and not lean on our own understanding. If God directed us to take a specific action, the outcome will always be to our benefit. This brings up one of my favourite verses: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). The death of infants/young children is always a mystery. I don’t think we will understand why innocent infants should be permitted to suffer great pain. Yet, the slaughter of these infants was foreseen by God, and it was in His cause that they were slain. It is estimated that about 20 to 30 died, and it may be that a greater evil in the future was hereby avoided. They died for Christ, as Christ afterwards died for men. Yes, I truly believe that they died as early martyrs for Christ.

Q23. (Matthew 2:7-12) Does gift-giving on this occasion involve love or mere custom? How were the Magi's gifts fitting for the Christ Child? What gifts can you offer Jesus that mean something? What gifts demonstrate your love? It was customary in the East to show respect for persons of distinction by making presents or offerings of this kind. Here it is more than a custom, the gifts are not only pictured here as wealthy but also warm-hearted and worshipful. To think the Wise Men did not hesitate to make a long and arduous journey to offer their treasures to Him, to honour Him, and render homage to Him. To them it was important to not only bow down before Him, but also to present Him with lavish and appropriate gifts. Gold, for He was and is indeed a king, King of kings and Lord of lords. Frankincense, for He is indeed God - the fulness of the godhead dwells in Him. Myrrh, for He is also man, destined for death, and this by His own choice. On our own we are infected with sin, and all our so-called good deeds/gifts are like filthy rags. Our only hope, therefore, is faith in Jesus Christ, who can cleanse us and bring us into God's presence. The only gifts we can bring to Him is our humble obedience and willingness to be His servant and creature. We receive our salvation not through gifts but through faith in Jesus Christ, we cannot earn it, and we accept it as a gift from our loving Heavenly Father. He, in His righteousness and wonderful love, offers us eternal life.

Q22. (Matthew 2:1-6) In what ways is the kingship of Jesus a threat to our self-determination? What are our choices in light of His Kingdom? The sooner we realise “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php 2:10-11), the better for us. Whether we like it or not Jesus Christ is Lord of our life. This demands obedience to the commands of God. Of course, even as believers this cannot be done in our own strength since we are still prone to sinful conduct and thoughts. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. We now live a life that is submissive to Christ. No more do we live as spoilt brats always wanting our way in everything. We start thinking about others rather than solely about ourselves. In His second advent, Jesus Christ will come with power as the Conquering King, as the King of kings, and as the Lord of lords, and every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear allegiance. God’s desire is that none should perish, but that all should repent and inherit eternal life as His children (John 3:16; 1:12). We set our minds on God’s eternal kingdom, not on earthly things, for we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. As believers in Jesus, we are subjects of Christ’s kingdom – we are citizens of heaven. This world is not our home, and we owe our highest allegiance to our ultimate authority – our Lord and King Jesus Christ.

7. Extra Credit. What is the balance between resting in the assurance of the grace of God, on the one hand, and striving to escape the temptations all around us, on the other? This reminds me of the question we had earlier when we studied Luke 13:23-24. Being one of the elect and saved by grace before creation we are most grateful for the love and mercy shown to us. The Holy Spirit has given us new life, we are not the same anymore, we have become new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Although salvation itself does not require effort on our part, it is all of grace, enabling grace, but our sinful nature and our evil desires are still there. Our opponents, our old sinful natures, are still there, so our journey of sanctification begins. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we strive/fight/persevere to become more and more like our Lord Jesus. Jesus said we must strive to enter through the narrow gate. This narrow gate is the new birth - salvation by grace through faith. To strive means we are to exert ourselves fully in our battle with our own will, our own pride, and our own lusts. This will require a constant and sustained effort since this is a battle on three fronts; a combination of the world, the flesh, and Satan.

6. What does it mean, to "stand before the Son of Man"? What does that refer to? To “stand before the Son of Man” is to be standing before Jesus Christ uncondemned. That is to be standing in judgment and to be found not guilty. On the other hand, all those that are found to be wicked, will be found not worthy to stand before Him, and they will be condemned. To be able to escape the coming calamity we have to know Him as our Lord and Saviour, and only then will we be safe that day. We as God’s people will be able to stand (to hold their heads up high) because we will not be pleading our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ. He has washed us from our sins in His precious blood and we have been made clean from every stain of unrighteousness. It refers primarily to believers standing before the Lord at the judgment when He returns to earth to establish His kingdom (Matt 25:31–46). The sheep will enter into the kingdom while the goats will be cast out.

5. What are Jesus' direct commands to His disciples in light of His teaching on the end-times? (21:36) What will these commands do for us? What will they do for Jesus' cause? Jesus commands us to be watchful at all times, and that only through fervent prayer and righteous living can we escape the terrors of that day. Constant spiritual vigilance is essential, we are to be fully alert, and the only way we can maintain this vigilance is by persevering prayer. Jesus had taught us earlier to always pray and not give up (11:1-11; 18:1-8). We need the help of Christ and the Holy Spirit to help us in these end-times, we are not strong enough in ourselves. By doing this we separate ourselves from this ungodly world which is doomed to experience the wrath of God. We need to pray and reach out to the lost telling them about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, realising that this could be the last opportunity they might have of salvation. We need to save souls for Jesus.

4. Why does Jesus warn us of spiritually-dulling lifestyles? (21:34) How can "the anxieties of life" be just as dulling as drunkenness? Since His coming can come at any time and might happen totally unexpectedly, Jesus gives us a solemn warning to be careful that we are not so occupied with mundane cares, and therefore will be caught by surprise. We are not to live careless lives knowing that there is the certainty of salvation for all believers. At the same time, we are not to be tempted to live in uncontrolled pleasure or drunkenness; not to be burdened with sin which will trap us. Nor must we be weighed down with the anxieties of life. All these will have a dulling effect on our spiritual lifestyles and cause us to take our eyes off Jesus resulting in us not being ready for the return of our Lord Jesus. Even though we are aware of the signs it will come upon us unexpectedly, springing upon us like a trap, entangling us in our sin/debauchery.

3. Extra Credit. If we assume that "this generation" doesn't refer to merely the people who were contemporaries of Jesus, then what DOES "this generation" mean in the context? (12:32) This generation refers to the people living when these signs begin to take place. The generation that is alive that sees these things, referring again to the signs in 21:25-28. And those who are alive to see the beginning of the signs would live to see the return of Christ. Every generation will live with the reality that it could happen at any time. All the events predicted would happen within one generation. In other words, if we are alive, are looking (vigilant) for signs, are waiting for the coming of Christ, we see the signs, and we survive through it all, then we will be there when He returns and take us into His Kingdom.

2. Extra Credit. In verse 31, what does the term "these things" refer back to in the context? When these things mentioned in the present context, that is (21:25-28), signs in sun, moon, and stars … take place, then we as believers must recognize that “the kingdom of God” in its final manifestation is at the very door. Christ's royal reign in the new heaven and earth is at hand. The whole idea is to know what is going on, to be aware of the signs that indicate the Lord’s return, their intensity, and if they are growing in both number and power.

1. What is Jesus' reference to the fig tree supposed to teach His disciples? (21:29-30) Jesus tells us to look at the fig tree as just one example of a tree that buds before summer; no special reference to Israel seems to be intended, since He also includes all the trees as well. The idea is that when a fig tree buds, there is an inevitable result - summer is near, and fruit is coming. In the same way, when these signs are seen, the coming of Jesus in glory with His church to this world will inevitably follow.

Q21. (Luke 2:36-38) Why is it hard for us to value the time we spend in meditation and prayer. Which of the times of our day do you think the Lord values most? How does listening to the Lord propel Anna's ministry? Mostly, we are so busy, there is not much time for meditation and prayers, and if we do, it’s done in such a rush, and this only to calm our guilt feelings. Almost like a courtesy call to our Lord. I know this, because when younger, this was exactly what I did. Never realising what a blessing, and privilege it is to spend time with our Heavenly Father. He is never too busy to listen, always available 24/7, always answers prayer, yes always, but of course not always in the way we would like. I suppose our Lord values equally all our times we spend with Him. But for us it would be most valuable to spend our time early in the morning before the start of our day. It will prepare us for the day ahead, strengthen us, shield us against any evil attack, as we go together with Him into this wicked world. This cannot be rushed, we need to meditate on His Word, besides praying we need to listen. Not much is written about Anna, but from the 3 verses in Luke’s gospel, we know that when she encounters the infant Jesus in the temple, we see that her life is indeed overflowing with favour and grace. Having devoted the majority of her life to servicing God her devotion was rewarded with an encounter with her Saviour. Her many years of sacrifice and service were worth it all when she beheld the Messiah, the One for whom she had waited so long.

Q20. (Luke 2:25-35) Why does God send Simeon to the temple on this day? Why do you think this incident is recorded in Luke's Gospel? How was Simeon's prophecy over the Child fulfilled? God had told Simeon that before he dies he would see the Lord’s Messiah, and when baby Jesus was brought to the temple, the Holy Spirit directed Simeon to go to the temple as well. God always keeps His promises. Being a Greek, and Gentile Christian; Luke often wrote for the Gentiles. He was also a close friend of Paul and had accompanied him on his journeys in Gentile territory. So, he wrote that Jesus Christ will be a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles (His First Advent) and to shine in glory on Your people Israel (His Second Advent). The salvation of Jesus began with Israel but was always to be extended beyond Israel. The idea of salvation for the Gentiles is set forth many times in the Gospel of Luke. Simeon spoke prophetically to Mary. Our response to Jesus will determine our destiny. If we humbled ourselves, repented of our sins, and put our trust in Him, we would rise and be blessed. On the other hand, if we are arrogant, unrepentant, and unbelieving, we would fall and be punished. His very presence on earth proved a tremendous rebuke to sin and unholiness, and thus brought out the bitter animosity of the human heart. Simeon also mentioned the grief which would flood Mary's heart when she would witness the crucifixion of her Son (John 19:25).

Q19. (Malachi 3:1-4). Why is the suddenness of Christ's coming so fearful? How were these verses fulfilled in Jesus' day. How will they be fulfilled at His coming? Christ’s second coming will be sudden and unexpected, and it’s purpose will be to judge rebellious sinners and to establish His kingdom on earth. This will be fearful to unbelievers since this time our Lord will not be coming in grace, not as a Redeemer, but as a judge, to eradicate the rebellion that is on earth. Our Lord Jesus intends to purify (refiner’s fire) and He intends to clean (launderer’s soap). There will be no pollution when He establishes His kingdom. These verses were fulfilled in Jesus’ day by His first coming in grace and mercy, and will be fulfilled at His second coming in judgment. John the Baptist was the first messenger mentioned who prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus by preaching the Word to the crowds, urging them to repent of their sins, baptising them, and telling them about Jesus the Messiah.

5. If fear will characterize unbelievers at these terrible signs, what emotion should characterize believers? (21:28) For believers this will be a time of joy. We will know that the return of our Messiah is near, and we can look forward to His reign of justice and peace. To the unbeliever these are signs of dismay and terror, but to the believer they signify hope and freedom. Instead of being terrified and living in fear, because of what is happening in the world, we will confidently await Christ’s return. When Jesus comes again in the clouds, all His people will stand and lift up their heads, knowing that our redemption is drawing near. All the pains and sorrows of this life of toil will pass away, because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will have returned to this earth to claim His people for Himself. That will certainly be a great and glorious day for all those who belong to Him.

4. What will be the direct sign of Jesus' return? (21:27) What Old Testament Scripture passage is Jesus referring to when He describes His coming? The sign is the Son of Man, Jesus Himself coming on the clouds and visible for all to see. Christ’s appearing will be sudden, glorious, and with great power, and there will be no doubt as to His identity. Jesus was referring to Daniel 7:13-14, a messianic passage that must have been familiar to the disciples. “This one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven” (Dan 7:13) is the Messiah. In Acts 1:11, “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." The angels promised that Jesus would return to earth in the same way He departed. Revelation also records Christ coming with the clouds of heaven (Rev 1:7). We might think that we have been waiting more than 2000 years, and He not returned yet! But we have to remember that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Pet 3:8). Also, our Lord wishes that all should come to repentance, not wanting any to perish. He is patient, purposely extending the time of grace so that we might have every opportunity to be saved (2 Pet 3:9).