Come, Lord Jesus!
The last prayer in the Bible, which is also one of the shortest was written by John the apostle. He simply said, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)
Three words, and yet, so much is inferred within that simple prayer. John’s prayer is layered with heartache and anticipation, with distress and hope, with agony and joy. Can you imagine the apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23), savoring these three words, “Come, Lord Jesus!”, while abandoned among criminals on the island of Patmos? The promise that Christ will come again feels even sweeter when life on earth feels cruel and unyielding. It’s as if John is making a desperate attempt to literally draw the risen Jesus out of heaven, as he is fervently praying with all his might. The rocky ground beneath his knees was more than a prison; it was a model of the curse, twenty square miles overrun with the consequences of earthly sins. Suffering does that. It opens our eyes wider to all that sin has ruined. It lends an insight into just how much pain and devastation sin has brought to the world. And yet, in a strange way, suffering often awakens in us the promise of Jesus’ coming.
Weakness and illness make us long all the more for new bodies. Prolonged relational conflicts make us long all the more for peace. Wars, earthquakes, and hurricanes (quite familiar to us in Florida) make us long all the more for a secure life, a secure ground to stand upon. The sin across this fallen world makes us long all the more for sinlessness. “Come, Lord Jesus!” is the cry of someone who really expects a better world to come — and soon. Suffering only intensifies our longing and anticipation. The prayer “Come, Lord Jesus!” is really many prayers in one. What will happen when Christ finally returns? The opening verses of Revelation 21 tell us just how many of our prayers will be answered on that day.
“Come, Lord Jesus”, and dry our tears. Followers of Jesus are not spared sorrow in this life. In fact, following him often means more tears. Jesus himself warned us it would be so: “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). And yet, Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us. He promises to guide us and protect us. He is with us always even through the storms of this life. But one day, “He will wipe away every tear from our eyes” (Rev. 21:4). In that world, we will not have tribulation, or sorrow, or distress, or persecution, or danger. When he returns, we’ll never have another reason to cry.
“Come, Lord Jesus”, and put an end to our pain. Some long for the end of heartache; others feel the consequences of sin in their bodies. For some, pain has followed them like a shadow. Revelation 21:4 continues, “. . . neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” Can you imagine someone who has battled chronic pain for decades waking up one morning and feeling no more pain? The absence of pain will free our senses to enjoy the world like never before.
“Come, Lord Jesus”, and put death to death. Jesus came on the earth that we may have eternal life defeating the power of death. Yes, death lost its sting when the Son of God died. But one day, death itself will die. When the author of life comes, “death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4).
“Come, Lord Jesus”, and rid us of sin. John wrote in verse 3, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” Through that verse, John knew that God would not dwell with sin. For God to come and dwell with us, he will have to first completely destroy the sin that remains in us and in the earth— and that’s exactly what Jesus promises to do. The sin that hides in every shadow and behind every corner will be suddenly extinct. “Jesus will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil”. (Matthew 13:41). “When he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
“Come, Lord Jesus”, and make it all new. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev.21:1). Whatever fears have plagued you, whatever trials have surprised you, whatever clouds have followed you, they will all be transformed, in the twinkling of an eye, and stripped of their threats. In the world to come, we will have nothing to fear, nothing to mourn, nothing to endure, nothing to confess. Can you imagine?
More than a prayer for relief, or safety, or healing, or even sinlessness, though, “Come, Lord Jesus!” is a prayer for Him, Jesus, our Savior and Lord. The burning heart of John’s three-word plea is not for what Jesus does, but for who He is. This is clear throughout the book of Revelation. The world to come is a world we want because Jesus lives there. His presence is paradise. John’s prayer, after all, “Come, Lord Jesus!”, is a response to Jesus promising three times in the previous verses, “Behold, I am coming soon. . . Behold, I am coming soon. . . Surely, I am coming soon.” (Rev. 22:7,12,20). The world to come is a world to want because Jesus lives there.
While the apostle wasted away in prison, he could see the Bridegroom on the horizon (Rev. 1:12-16). His hair white, like snow. His eyes filled with fire. His feet, like burnished bronze. His face, like the sun shining in full strength. The man he had walked with, talked with, laughed with, and surely cried with, now fully glorified and ready to receive and rescue his bride, the church. The Treasure was no longer hidden in a field, but riding on the clouds. Even the vision of the new heavens and new earth in Revelation 21 makes God himself the greatest prize of the world to come: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3). Yes, we want a world without grief, without pain, without fear, without death. But better to have a world like ours with God, than to have any other world without Him. His presence defines paradise. Nothing less can satisfy us. . .
As Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven wrote, “We think that what we want is a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, sex, drugs, alcohol, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. When what we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven. We may imagine we want a thousand different things, but God is the one we really long for. His presence brings satisfaction; his absence brings thirst and longing. Our longing for Heaven is a longing for God.”
When Jesus comes again, we will eat, drink and rejoice without end. Hunger and thirst will become distant memories. If worries have robbed you of sleep, if pain has made even normal days hard, if loved ones have been taken from this earth, if life has sometimes seemed stacked against you, if you can’t shake a restless aching from within, then come away to a quiet place and bask in the presence of Jesus. Take time to rest in Him a while. Seek His face. Seek Him with all your heart. Share His Word with others. Worship Him. Abide in Him. He is your all in all. This world may be the only world we’ve known, but a better world is coming… and there’s still room at His table.