According to Puritan Thomas Goodwin, Jesus longs for his Return. Christians, who wait for Him, ought to be comforted by that truth.
In the booklet “A Habitual Sight of Him,” he is cited as writing,
It is the manner of bridegrooms, when they made all ready in their fathers’ houses, then to come themselves and fetch their brides, and not to send for them by others, because it is a time of love. Love descends better than it ascends, and so does the love of Christ, who indeed is love itself, and therefore comes down to us Himself (Page 41).
Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3
It’s interesting that Goodwin goes on to refer to John 14 because he ties these passages to Christ’s return, and to take believers back to His Father’s house. Other interpreters have had a different take on the verses. But Goodwin’s plain-sense view makes sense to me.
Heaven cannot hold Him
Thomas Goodwin goes on to assert that it’s as if Jesus said,
“The truth is, I cannot live without you and shall never be quiet till I have you where I am, that we may never part again; that is the reason for it. Heaven shall not hold Me, nor my Father’s company, if I do not have you with Me, My heart is so set upon you; and if I have any glory, you shall have part of it.”
Does that not stir you? Think of what He did for us on the cross!
A few more thoughts
A little while, and you will no longer behold Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me. John 16:16
For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. Heb 10:37
Goodwin ties John 16:16 with Heb 10:37. In John 16, the Lord doesn’t mean the space when He’s in the grave; He is speaking of the time when He will return. In Heb 10, Goodwin says that the words mean, “As little as may be.” Though it’s a long time, it’s little in respect to Christ’s desire; and that He won’t tarry a moment longer than is absolutely necessary.
Jesus longs for His return!
One last thought
From a premillennial perspective, there is debate about the timing of Christ’s coming for His church in connection with the beginning of the millennium. For example, we have differing views on whether the Olivet Discourse centers on the church or Israel. Posttribulationists sometimes note that Christ was speaking to the same people in Matt 24, as in John 14.
I’d like to point out that in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus responded to specific questions which concerned the Jewish disciples at that time. We see this punctuated by the question of Israel’s kingdom restoration in Acts 1:6. But in John 14, the narrative is initiated by Christ. In the former case, the disciples represent Israel. In the latter context, they are the church.
Maranatha!
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