And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him,
“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Matthew 11:2,3
The writings of Moses and the prophets included hundreds of prophecies concerning the Messiah that was to come. Centuries had passed since these promises were given, and then came another four hundred years with no message from God at all. Yet the faithful to God still awaited the “Coming One.”
Then, on the day his son was born, old Zacharias the priest prophesied concerning the Dayspring from on High that was coming. Roughly six months later, both the honorable and just Simeon and the prophetess Ana from the temple testified that they saw the Lord’s Christ come as a baby to be dedicated in the house of God.
John the Baptist lived his whole life set apart for the work of God. When he baptized Jesus, he saw the heavens opened and heard the voice of God Himself declare the Savior as the beloved Son of God. John had strong affirmation that day that He was commissioned to be the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. He was convinced that the Coming One had finally arrived.
Yet circumstances and solitude have a way of raising doubts and compromising firm decisions. So when John was thrown in prison and the Messiah, the Son of David, didn’t come to liberate him, he sent two disciples to affirm his faith in the Messiah.
John had indeed perceived correctly; the Coming One had, in fact, come. Two thousand years later, Christ is still the Coming One, because He promised His followers that He would return. That’s a long time to wait, so just like the first time, some believers have started to wonder, “Where is the promise of His Coming?” (2 Peter 3:4).
The good news is that He is on His way, and He’s right on schedule. The signs of His coming laid down in Matthew 24 all check out, so any time now we’ll get to see the Coming One.
August 1
