Advcnt does not take us away from here and now, but it does causes us to see there and beyond. Advent opens up with a strong eschatological word. For those not versed in such big and strange words, eschatology refers to things to come and in the case of Advent, it is not what is to come, but Who. Christ Jesus is to come. He who has come is scheduled by God the Father to come again to bring history as we know it to its closing moments while bringing all that is earthly into the realm of the Kingdom of God. The Word of God speaks of the Kingdom of God as something that is and is yet to be and to speak of eschatology is to speak of the "yet to be" as the present reality.
One of the clearest Words about what is to come is found early in Acts. After Jesus has been with the disciples for a period of time in his resurrected form, the Word tells us, "...as they were watching, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight," (Acts 1:9). As they gazed upward toward heaven, "...two men in white robes stood by them. They said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come again in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.' " (Acts 1:11) When He comes again, He will not be coming to provide the church with another date to celebrate on the Christian calendar, but to close the pages on all calendars. He will come to fully usher in the Kingdom of God upon the earth.
This Biblical teaching about the return of Christ is the opening word of Advent. It is also the red headed stepchild of the church as it is hardly mentioned in its preaching or teaching and when the Scripture seems to mandate its message, what is preached is hardly recognizable as a Word about Jesus coming once again in all His glory to bring history as we know to its final moment. Ready or not, Advent tells us that the One who has come is coming again.
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