On the Edge of Forever

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  — Revelation 22:20

The last page of the calendar has a way of making us feel the weight of time. Another year has slipped through our fingers, but Revelation ends by lifting our eyes beyond the ticking clock to the voice of Jesus Himself. He doesn’t merely leave us with vague comfort; He gives a clear, personal promise that He is coming, and He invites our hearts to answer. As one year closes and another opens, His final words in Scripture call us to live like people who really believe that His return could be nearer than we think.

Living in the shadow of His soon return

The Bible ends not with our plans for the future, but with His: Jesus says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:20).

That’s not a distant theological idea; it’s a promise from the same Lord who was born in a manger, nailed to a cross, raised from the dead, and exalted to the right hand of the Father. His track record on promises is perfect. On the last day of the year, that truth steadies us: history is not circling aimlessly; it is racing toward a guaranteed meeting with a real, returning King.

At the same time, Scripture reminds us that God’s “slowness” is actually mercy. Peter says the Lord is not slow about His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient, desiring people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Every year He delays means more souls rescued, including some you and I are called to reach. As the world shifts and shakes, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His unchanging character and unbreakable promise let us walk into an uncertain new year with a surprisingly settled heart.

Longing, not just looking

There is a difference between analyzing Christ’s return and aching for it. John doesn’t just record Jesus’ promise; he responds, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). That’s the language of love, not mere curiosity. On this final night of the year, it’s worth asking: Do I simply believe that Jesus is coming, or do I want Him to come? Our reaction reveals what we treasure most—this world as it is, or the presence of the One who saved us.

Paul says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). We belong somewhere else, to Someone else, and that produces eagerness, not dread. Near the end of his life, Paul could say there was “laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). To “love His appearing” is to spend our brief years here cultivating a heart that sings the same prayer Revelation ends with: “Come.”

Finishing the year faithful

Because Jesus is coming, how we spend the “in-between” matters immensely. God’s grace, Paul says, has appeared to bring salvation and to train us “to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” while we wait for “the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (see Titus 2:11–13). Hope for the future is supposed to shape holiness in the present. Knowing that we will see Him soon doesn’t make everyday obedience optional; it makes it urgent and beautiful.

John writes that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, and that “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure” (see 1 John 3:2–3). So before midnight strikes, this is a powerful moment to ask: Is there sin I need to confess and forsake? A relationship to mend? A step of obedience I’ve delayed? Jesus warned that the Son of Man will come at an hour we do not expect (see Matthew 24:44), so the best way to end the year is not with vague resolutions, but with surrendered readiness. The clock may tick toward a new year, but our lives are ticking toward a face-to-face meeting with our Lord. Let’s step over that threshold with clean hands, clear consciences, and hearts awake.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the sure promise that You are coming soon. Teach me to love Your appearing, to turn from sin, and to live this coming year watchful, joyful, and obedient—ready to say with all my heart, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”