This is an often memorized promise that brings hope in these dark days. Yes, Jesus will return! However, this promise has made some wonder, what is taking so long? The seemingly long time since Jesus’ promise is because He has a lot to do to prepare a place for us.
When I was younger, I imagined Jesus with a tool-belt and a hammer pounding nails into the newly added walls in our heavenly mansions. As if the “preparations” for us were physical. Of course, if Jesus went to heaven to simply build a few rooms for those going to Heaven, why couldn’t He just speak them into existence? He’s done it before! He would have been there and back in only moments. It became apparent to me that the preparations were greater than simply making a few (or even many) more rooms.
So what is Jesus doing that seems to take forever? We have already read this reminder: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). We may perceive the long delay as slowness, but in reality He is patient. He’s not trying to rush salvation. He wants to save as many as possible.
You see, Jesus had a much greater work in mind when He left to “prepare a place for us.” We find it described in Hebrews 9: “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11, 12).
Verse 24 explains where Jesus entered: “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Jesus entered into the holy places of heaven on our behalf. To do what? Reading on tells us: “Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:25, 26).
These verses paint a fascinating image. It is one of Jesus as our High Priest. It parallels a heavenly ministry of Christ with that of the earthly High Priests. According to the book of Hebrews, when Jesus entered heaven, He entered into the Most Holy Places of heaven as our Hight Priest. This is a major part of His ministry that many have forgotten.
You see, the only reason the High Priest went into the Most Holy Place was for the yearly Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16:1–30). It was the only time, and only reason, anyone entered into the Most Holy Place. To the people of Israel, it was the day the sanctuary would be cleansed of their sins. In other words, when that day was over, those who had trusted in God and the sacrifice for their sins were at peace with God—cleansed completely from all their sins (Leviticus 16:30). It is a concept heard in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It was also seen as a day of judgment for them—whatever sins were not confessed and cleansed from the sanctuary that day, were then the responsibility of the person (guilty).
Why is this important? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” Some believe this means that we will all have to stand physically in some heavenly courtroom—typically after we die. However, the Bible says that Jesus is “the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42; see also 2 Timothy 4:1). Furthermore, Acts 17:31 says that God has “selected a day” to judge the world through Jesus. Thus, while the Bible says that our lives are judged after we die (Hebrews 9:27), it also says that the final judgement will occur at a specific time and will concern both those living and those dead. Basically, the day of judgment will come and we will be judged—for those living in that day, it will be while they are still alive.
In addition, Jesus said that when He returned, He would reward everyone according to their works (Matthew 16:27, see also Revelation 22:12). According to what we just read, we must appear before the judgment seat of Jesus so that we can receive our reward, yet Jesus is coming with His reward. How can this happen? Remember what Revelation 14:7 said: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come” [emphasis mine]. Part of Jesus’ ministry as High Priest is taking part in the judgment. Therefore, the judgement of the dead and the living will take place at a specific time before Jesus returns.
This means, when Jesus returns, our judgment has already been decided—whether or not we have accepted His sacrifice on our behalf—and our reward is coming with Him. “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).
When Jesus is finished and returns for His children, there will be no more work to be done toward sin. It will be finished (see John 19:30 and Revelation 16:17). He won’t be coming to die again, He won’t be coming to try to fix the world, He’ll be coming as King of kings and Lord of lords to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him (Revelation 19:11–16)!