I often think about the people who lived in ages past and wonder what they understood about their place in the flow of His story.
For those who lived between the Testaments, it meant experiencing a famine of the Word. And yet, there were individuals who remained confident that God would remember His ancient promises and fulfill them in His good time.
Similarly, following the fervor of the Apostles and the evangelistic urgency of the Church Fathers, the Church has waited almost 2,000 years for the promise of the Rapture and Jesus’ subsequent return. As the years turned into decades and then centuries, some Christians began to wonder (and wander). Instead of asking, “How long, O Lord?” they began to doubt, either actively or passively, the promise of His coming – just as Peter warned would happen (2 Peter 3:3-4).
But there has always been a faithful remnant who remained excited about Jesus’ promise and loved His appearing. Like Paul, they were confident that a crown of righteousness was laid up for them (2 Timothy 4:8).
There can be no doubt that the Apostles expected Jesus to come again. Prior even to His crucifixion, death, and resurrection, they were asking, “What will be the sign of Your coming?” (Matthew 24:3). They didn’t even understand the nature of His “going,” but they knew already that He would be coming again.
The Early Church Fathers shared that anticipation. The earliest of them were disciples of the original Apostles. For example, Polycarp and Ignatius followed after John, and Irenaeus was taught by Polycarp. There were not many degrees of separation between many Early Church leaders and the original Apostles. And, while they had to fight against threats of heresy in the Church, they also shared an expectation that Jesus would come again—imminently and suddenly.
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