As the Day Begins
“And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever…that there should be time no longer.” — Revelation 10:6
There is something wonderfully sobering about beginning the morning remembering that history is going somewhere. We often awaken thinking about appointments, errands, responsibilities, bills, conversations, and unfinished work. Our calendars make it seem as though life is an endless succession of days. Yet Revelation reminds us that history is not circular and time is not sovereign. God is. The world is moving toward an appointed moment when the purposes of God will reach their fulfillment and Jesus Christ will return.
Revelation 10 places us within John’s vision of a mighty angel standing with authority over sea and land. The angel raises his hand toward heaven and swears by the One who lives forever that there will be no further delay. The Greek expression behind the idea is chronos ouketi estai—literally, “time shall be no longer” or, in context, “there shall be no more delay.” The emphasis is not necessarily that clocks cease to exist at that instant, but that the period of waiting reaches its appointed boundary. What God has promised will move toward completion.
That distinction matters. We presently live in what Scripture repeatedly reveals as an extraordinary season of divine patience. Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). What sometimes appears to us as divine delay is actually divine mercy. Every sunrise is evidence that God is still extending the invitation of grace.
A. W. Tozer expressed this urgency by observing that the Church is not merely a religious institution but an assembly of redeemed people commissioned to take Christ’s gospel throughout the world. That places Revelation 10:6 in a very practical setting. Christ’s return is not merely a doctrine to be diagrammed; it is a truth that should determine how we live today.
Jesus Himself warned against speculation over dates while commanding readiness. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). Biblical readiness therefore is not date-setting. It is faithful living.
The uncertainty of Christ’s return is intended to produce certainty in Christian discipleship.
I do not know whether I will have another year, another month, or even another full day in which to serve Christ. But I know what He has given me today. I have people I can encourage. I have someone I can forgive. I have truth I can speak. I have prayers I can offer. I have opportunities to demonstrate kindness. I have the gospel I can share. The unknown timing of Christ’s return should never paralyze me; it should awaken me.
There is also great comfort here for believers. The return of Jesus is not merely the arrival of judgment. It is the arrival of the One we love.
Jesus told His disciples, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). Christianity does not teach that history eventually collapses into meaningless darkness. It teaches that Christ stands at the end of history. The One who died for us, rose for us, intercedes for us, and walks with us is also the One toward whom history is moving.
That changes the way I face this morning.
When the news of the world feels chaotic, Jesus is still coming.
When evil appears temporarily successful, Jesus is still coming.
When injustice seems unanswered, Jesus is still coming.
When someone I love dies in Christ and I experience the painful emptiness of their absence, Jesus is still coming.
When my own body reminds me that earthly life is temporary, Jesus is still coming.
And when I wonder whether faithfulness matters in a world that often rewards everything except faithfulness, Revelation reminds me that the final chapter has already been placed in the hands of Christ.
The biblical doctrine of Christ’s return is therefore not intended to frighten faithful Christians into nervous anticipation. Paul actually described it as encouragement. After teaching about the Lord’s coming, he wrote, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Why encouragement?
Because separation does not have the final word.
Death does not have the final word.
Evil does not have the final word.
Human kingdoms do not have the final word.
Jesus does.
And until that day arrives, grace remains active. The gospel continues to be proclaimed. People continue to repent. Sinners continue to discover mercy. Churches continue to worship. Believers continue to serve. Somewhere today someone may hear the name of Jesus differently than they ever have before and surrender their life to Him.
That person may hear because one Christian decided this morning that there was still time to speak.
So perhaps Revelation 10:6 should cause us to ask a very different question. Instead of asking, “When will Jesus return?” perhaps we should ask, “What should I be doing because Jesus will return?”
That is the question we can answer.
I can live faithfully today.
I can love someone today.
I can forgive today.
I can pray today.
I can tell someone about Christ today.
I can repair something broken today.
I can worship today.
I can place something sinful before God today and repent.
I can live this ordinary Thursday as though it belongs to eternity—because it does.
Triune Prayer
The Father, I begin this day remembering that time itself rests within Your authority. You know the beginning from the end, and nothing in history moves beyond Your knowledge or Your purpose. Thank You for the mercy represented by another morning. Thank You for patiently calling people toward repentance and for giving me another opportunity to live faithfully before You. Keep me from wasting this day on bitterness, anxiety, distraction, or things that have little eternal value. Teach me to recognize the people and opportunities You place before me. If there is someone I should encourage, make me attentive. If there is something I should confess, make me humble. If there is someone who needs to hear about Christ, give me courage. Let me live today with gratitude rather than presumption, remembering that every hour is a gift entrusted to me.
The Son, Jesus Christ, You promised that You would come again and receive Your people to Yourself. I confess that I sometimes become so occupied with this present world that I forget I am waiting for You. Restore that expectation within me—not as fear, speculation, or obsession, but as joyful readiness. Help me live in such a way that Your return would find me doing what You called me to do. May I love as You loved, serve as You served, forgive as You forgave, and speak truth with the grace You demonstrated. When the world seems unstable, remind me that Your throne is not. When evil seems strong, remind me that Your victory is certain. When death brings sorrow, remind me that resurrection is coming. Let the promise of seeing You shape the person I become today.
The Holy Spirit, awaken my heart to the opportunities hidden inside this ordinary day. Guard me from spiritual sleepiness. When distraction steals my attention, redirect me toward Christ. When temptation whispers that there will always be another opportunity to obey, remind me that obedience belongs in the present moment. Give me discernment to recognize where You are working and courage to join You there. Fill my speech with grace, my decisions with wisdom, my actions with compassion, and my heart with readiness. May something about my life today make Jesus visible to another person. Keep eternity close enough to change the way I live without allowing tomorrow to rob me of the responsibilities You have given me today.
Thought for the Day
Do not spend today trying to calculate when Jesus will return. Spend today living in a way that shows you believe He will.
Revelation 10:6 reminds Christians that God’s apparent delay is not divine inactivity. Scripture presents the present age as a period in which God continues His redemptive work while history advances toward the promised return of Jesus Christ. Christian readiness therefore means faithful discipleship, repentance, gospel witness, perseverance, and hope rather than speculation about dates. T
he certainty of Christ’s return gives meaning to ordinary Christian obedience because every act of faithfulness is lived within a story whose final victory belongs to Jesus.
There will eventually come a day when there is “no more delay.”
Today is not that announcement.
Today grace still speaks.
Today the invitation remains open.
Today the Church still has work to do.
And today we have another opportunity to be found faithful.
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