Jesus is our Coming King!

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:9-11

I came back to my office after teaching a class. I was tired but happy, thinking that the class went particularly well. I was hungry after missing breakfast and was quite ready to have lunch. But then my good mood changed in a second when I checked my phone. I saw a message from Ayumi that she is sorry and that she had a miscarriage.

We were expecting our second child in the coming July. I was very excited to have a second baby as all parents would. I wanted to buy a house here in Japan and settle down with the new baby. I could not wait to decide a name for the baby, a special moment that only parents can have. I could only imagine all opportunities and potentials that the new baby will experience in his or her life. However, all my expectations and excitement turned sour in one second. They evaporated with one text message from my wife.

I have to confess that I could not really understand what a miscarriage feels like until I experienced one. It saddens me deeply and breaks my heart even a month after I found out the news. I had so many questions that will not be answered until I see my Maker. I was refusing to accept what happened. I was complaining and irritated. I was angry at God.

Angry and Complaining Jonah

In my anger and despair, I returned to the gospel which provides heavenly comfort that the world cannot provide (John 14:27). What is the gospel? The gospel is: just as Jesus ascended into heaven, he will come again in the same way. We are waiting for Jesus to come again. Just like people were waiting for the Messiah to come two thousand years ago, we Christians are waiting for the Messiah to come back. When Jesus came for the first time, he came as a servant. But, when Jesus comes back for the second time, he will come as a king and judge. He will right every wrong. He will fix all injustice.

As I was going through this experience, God made me listen to a hymn called "It is well with my soul." It is a song and prayer written by a father who lost four daughters. The four daughters and his wife were traveling from the States to England. They met a storm, and only the wife survived. After the accident, he wrote this song. There were originally six verses, and the last two verses were about the coming of Jesus. The original lyrics go: “The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, A song in the night, oh my soul, it is well with my soul.” It means that we are suffering now, but we are okay because the Lord will come. The Lord will save. The Lord will restore. The Lord will do the justice.

Sin came to the world and caused death. Because sin exists, death exists, and my unborn child passed. Yes, believing in Jesus will not solve everything in this world. It will not make my life the easiest but rather difficult at times. Bad things could still happen to Christians, especially in their faith journey. Despite the suffering and trials, Jesus’ second coming is the reason we believe in God. Jesus will come back. He will return to restore all brokenness and reverse suffering and pain in this world. He will return to achieve complete justice. He will return to reward the faithful and punish the sinners. Jesus is our Coming King.

Taeho