Are We There Yet?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 16th of November, 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

There is a phrase that is so popular and used in so many ways that no one has any idea when or where it originated.  You’ve heard it in movies and in TV shows and probably from the back seat of your own car.  “Are we there yet?”  I remember one particularly annoying movie or TV scene where the kid just keeps repeating over and over, “Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?”  We adults are more likely to say it in a slightly different way, “Aren’t we there yet?!!?”  Either way, it’s an easily recognizable sign of impatience, of being past ready of getting to wherever we’re going.

Now, while this phrase normally applies to road trips, whether going to Grandma’s house or the beach, I think it might also fit right into the Advent season, which we are about to enter.

The word “advent” loosely means “coming”, and is often used to indicate waiting for the arrival of something, or someone.  In the Advent season, we are awaiting the birth of our Lord Jesus, His coming into the world.

Of course, that can also apply to His second coming.  While the birth of Jesus is incredibly important to us, our Bible gives far greater emphasis to His future and imminent return.  Some sources mention that there are over 1800 references to the second coming compared to just a handful of specific verses detailing Jesus’ birth.

So if we ask, “Are we there yet?”, we may be anxiously awaiting Christmas day, or we may be looking forward to the day Jesus returns to set all things right.  As for the first… well, just wait a bit longer – it’s only a few weeks away.  As for the second, the Apostle Paul tells us it's not quite yet time.  Please listen and follow along as Paul gives us and the church in Thessalonica a little better idea of what to expect, from the 2nd chapter of his 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 When our Lord Jesus returns, we will be gathered up to meet Him. So I ask you, my friends, 2 not to be easily upset or disturbed by people who claim the Lord has already come. They may say they heard this directly from the Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that they read it in one of our letters. 3 But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear. 4 He will brag and oppose everything holy or sacred. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God. 5 Don't you remember I told you this while I was still with you?

6 You already know what is holding this wicked one back until it is time for him to come. 7 His mysterious power is already at work, but someone is holding him back. And the wicked one won't appear until this someone steps out of the way. 8 Then he will appear, but the Lord Jesus will kill him simply by breathing on him. He will be completely destroyed by the Lord's glorious return.

9 When the wicked one appears, Satan will pretend to work all kinds of miracles, wonders, and signs. 10 Lost people will be fooled by his evil deeds. They could be saved, but they will refuse to love the truth and accept it. 11 So God will make sure they are fooled into believing a lie. 12 All of them will be punished, because they would rather do evil than believe the truth.

13 My friends, the Lord loves you, and it is only natural for us to thank God for you. From the beginning God chose you to be saved. His Spirit made you holy, and you put your faith in the truth. 14 God used our preaching as His way of inviting you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 My friends, this is why you must remain faithful and follow closely what we taught you in person and by our letters.

16 God our Father loves us. He treats us with undeserved grace and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father 17 will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.

--2 Thessalonians 2 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for making and executing a plan for all of mankind and for the world itself.  Jesus came to us to atone for our sin and offer us salvation, all according to Your plan.  If we could see more of Your plan, maybe we would be more obedient to Your word.  But then we wouldn’t need faith.  So we struggle through this life relying on our faith and trusting in You.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

I believe I've used this little report before, but it serves as a testament to what Paul just told us, that the signs Paul disclosed have not yet been seen.  This comes from a 1991 issue of the magazine Today in the Word:

After 14 years of studying the Bible, William Miller became convinced that Christ would return in 1843.  When Miller announced April 3 as the day, some disciples went to mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven.  Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed loved ones.  Philadelphia society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God's kingdom amid the common herd.  When April 4 dawned as usual the Millerites were disillusioned, but they took heart.  Their leader had predicted a range of dates for Christ's return.  They still had until March 21, 1844.  The devout continued to make ready, but again they were disappointed.  A third date - October 22, 1844 - was set, but it also passed without incident.

The people were fooled.  They either didn’t know or didn’t believe it that no one is able to determine the exact date and time of our Lord's return to earth.  There will be some, though, that will still try to predict when it will happen, and many people - even believers - will be led to believe them.

Jesus warned us about this.  He had been trying to explain to His disciples that He would soon leave them and go back to the Father, but that one day He would return.  They asked Him, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”  The Apostle Matthew recorded our Lord’s response, in the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 4 through 8 and 36 through 39…

4 Jesus answered:

"Don't let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be Me. They will say they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

6 "You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

36 “No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son Himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows. 37 When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 38 People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. 39 They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. This is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.”

--Matthew 24:4-8, 36-39 (CEV)

Don't be misled by anyone who would claim or predict the day and time when Jesus will return.  Only our Father God knows when He will send His Son back to earth, to take His "bride" - the church - to the home He has prepared for her.

Yes, there are signs we can watch for that will herald the second coming.  And yes, some of those signs have already occurred.  We’ve definitely heard about, and experienced, wars and threats of wars.  Nations and kings have gone to war against each other pretty much as long as there have been nations and kings, but the end has not yet come.  People have indeed starved to death, and earthquakes shake the world up quite frequently, but this is only the beginning of troubles.  Some of the Old Testament prophets even give indicators of the impending end to watch for.  But I think we can all agree that Jesus hasn’t come back yet.

So let’s look again at what Paul shared with us.  Bad people will try to fool us, even tell us Jesus has already come and we missed it.  Don’t believe them.  We can read in Revelation that every eye will see Him when Jesus returns, riding in on the clouds.  I promise you: we won’t miss it.

But Paul gives us the one sure sign, the one that will clearly denote the end is at hand.  In verses 3 and 4 of our scripture reading, Paul assures us that, “Before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear.  He will brag and oppose everything holy or sacred.  He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God.”

The “wicked one” Paul warns of is Satan’s chief agent that we know as the Antichrist.  When he makes his public appearance, when he stands in the Temple and claims to be God, then God will send Jesus back to us.

For now, though, the wicked one is being held back, not allowed to show himself to the world.  He’s already at work, fomenting those wars and starvations Jesus spoke of.  Only the Christ has the power to hold the Antichrist back until God says to let him go.  So yes, although a lot of the foretold signs have been seen, this last and most easily discernable indicator has yet to occur.

We're not quite there yet, although it sure seems we're getting close.  But not all of the signs have been fulfilled.  Jesus is still holding the Antichrist back.  Until he makes his public debut and claims to be God, we will still have to wait, and pray.

And only God knows when that will be.  But we need to be ready when He does come.  Like the servants of the master who went off to a wedding feast, we need to keep working at the task we’ve been assigned until our Master returns.  We need to keep sharing the Gospel, the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus.  We need to keep making disciples.  We need to keep trying to save the lost, rescue the perishing, offering the hand of Jesus’ love.  We need to be doing what Jesus told us to do when He returns, because we don’t know when that will be.

So let’s get out there and help the lost be found.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for keeping so much of Your plan hidden from our view so we can show our love and devotion to You by living our faith.  We fully trust that You are working all things to our good, even when we can’t even begin to understand why some things happen.  We trust You, Father, and trust in Your great faithfulness.  But sometimes we just can’t help but wonder about and even question what You allow, why You let Satan run rampant through our world, our lives.  We know this is part of our sinful nature, and we know it displeases and disappoints You, Father.  We really do want to live and act more righteously.  Please help us in this, Father.  And especially, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, for now You are holding back the Antichrist, and the day of Your return.  Thank You, Lord, for keeping the wicked one at bay, even though Satan is wreaking havoc around us.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  We just ask that you please help us get out there and be working Your assignment while You are away.  And please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  We don’t want to disappoint You and our Father God any more.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.