JESUS WHY ARE YOU WAITING SO LONG?

When we study the scriptures, we find that while Jesus was on the earth He made statements that seemed to indicate that His return would be very soon after His ascension, which took place in Acts chapter one. We also see that the writers of the NT scriptures seemed to have that same mindset. Here we are almost 2,000 years later reading those scriptures and many are asking the question, Jesus why are you waiting so long?

Many have tried to ease our mind with the scriptures that states that a day is with the Lord as a thousand years and that is found in the OT and the NT.

Ps 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

2 Pet 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Well, we know and understand that God exits outside of the time dimension however we do not. Years, months, days, hours and minutes is how we live our life on the earth. If we witness someone that lives to be a hundred years of age, we think that is a long time.

Both the OT scriptures and the NT scriptures state that the Lord God does not change.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Heb13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.

In Acts chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost, a new dispensation of time began. Paul stated that he was charged by the Lord to bring the knowledge and the particulars of that dispensation to the churches. We call this time “the church age.”

Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

At the time of the writing of this blog post, we are in the middle of 2025, and the church age is still continuing through time. Before Jesus left the earth and His disciples, He made some promises to them concerning the new dispensation. However, they did not understand anything He told them until after the day of Pentecost.

Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Close to the time of the crucifixion, Jesus began to prepare His disciples for the time of His departure.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Even though Jesus did not say how long He would be gone, He made a promise that if He did go that He would come again and receive to Himself those disciples along with all others, who believed their words of testimony and believed on the Lord Jesus. In church vernacular, we call that gathering “the rapture” of the church. The Greek word is “harpazo” as used by Paul.

1Thes 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we, which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

shall be caught up is #726 harpazo (har-pad'-zo); from a derivative of 138; to seize (in various applications):

#138 haireomai (hahee-reh'-om-ahee); probably akin to 142; to take for oneself, i.e. to prefer:

#142 airo (ah'-ee-ro); a primary root; to lift up; by implication, to take up or away;

To those individuals on the earth who have confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior have become members of the body of Christ. We are the group of people who should be “waiting patiently” for the shout and the sound of the trump and the Lord to appear to take us for Himself. Again, the question is why has this event taking so long to manifest?

Let's look at some scriptures that would indicate that the writers believed that Jesus was coming back at least in the near future as relating to them.

1 Pet 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

the end is #5056 telos from a primary tello (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly, the point aimed at as a limit,

is at hand is #1448 eggizo; to make near, i.e. (reflexively) approach:

1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1Thes 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The scriptures that seem to state clearly, that the coming back of Jesus, for the early church quickly, is found in the epistles that Jesus, Himself, dictated to John in Revelation to be delivered to the churches. Seven churches are identified but the letters state that they are for all churches to hear.

Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.

Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

quickly is #5035 tachu (takh-oo'); neuter singular of 5036 (as adverb); shortly, i.e. without delay, soon, or (by surprise) suddenly, or (by implication, of ease) readily:

#5036 tachus (takh-oos'); of uncertain affinity; fleet, i.e. (figuratively) prompt or ready:

With Jesus dictating this letter to the church in Philadelphia, which all churches are expected to hear and read, it would seem that Jesus is saying that He is coming quickly or soon. Scholars seem to agree that the book of Revelation was written around 95 AD. That would be some 60 to 65 years after Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts chapter one.

We can easily see how teachings have flourished that state that the “harpazo” or rapture is very close. Many of us have got caught up in that excitement and made decisions for our life based on that fact to our regret. “Any time now” is what we have heard and we are still hearing that statement. How many videos are there on you tube of people who have died and come back with a message that the rapture is very close at hand? Well now, isn’t that the same message that Jesus and the Apostles taught almost 2,000 years ago?

This information should put us into the position of asking some difficult questions.

1. Are the scriptures invalid?

2. Were the Apostles and Jesus both mistaken?

3. Is there a problem with God?

4. Is there a problem with us as the church, which is the body of Christ?

5. Do the scriptures actually state when Jesus is coming back for the church?

We hope that all believe that the scriptures are Truth and cannot be broken. We hope that all believe that the Apostles and Jesus were not confused or mistaken. We hope that all believe that there is no problem with God. We hope that all believe that most likely the problem has been and still is with the church and the members of the body of Christ. OUCH! We hope that all will continue reading after we state that the scriptures actually state when Jesus will come back for His body, which is the church. Say what?

Well brother, we know that Jesus said that no man knows the day or the hour of His coming but the Father only. Jesus did say that but which “coming” was He referring to at the time He made that statement. There is a coming for the church gathering up in the air and there is a coming at “The Second Advent” when Jesus returns to the earth. These two “comings” are not the same event!

In Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus was speaking concerning “The Second Advent” when He made that statement and that was before the church was birthed on the day of Pentecost. The church is a mystery point and the disciples did not understand the church or the dispensation of grace until after the day of Pentecost.

Matt 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Matt 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

What about the harpazo, which we call the rapture? Are there scriptures that reveal anything about the timing of that event when the head of the church comes to gather His body unto Himself? Lets examine a familiar prophecy.

Ps 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

2  The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

3  Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

4  The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

6  He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

until is #5704 `ad (ad); properly, the same as 5703 (used as a preposition, adverb or conjunction; especially with a preposition); as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with):

#5703 `ad (ad); from 5710; properly, a (peremptory) terminus, i.e. (by implication) duration, in the sense of advance or perpetuity (substantially as a noun, either with or without a preposition):

How about the NT scriptures? Are there similar writings that would concur with the OT prophecy?

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Heb 10:12  But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

till is #2193 heos (heh'-oce); of uncertain affinity; a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place):

In the natural realm, we can negotiate the word “until” fairly well. When we read the same word in scripture, we seem to loose all ability of intellect and understanding. How long did God tell Jesus to sit at His right hand? Until His enemies were made His footstool! How simple is that statement?

So, how long will Jesus sit on the right hand of God on God’s throne? Until His enemies are made His footstool. The dispensation of grace is the only time that is recorded in the scriptures that Jesus, the Son of God, will sit on the throne of God. If we reflect back to Gabriel speaking to Mary about her son Jesus, Gabriel said that Jesus would be given the throne of His father David.

Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto

him the throne of his father David:

The throne of David was in Jerusalem and the time of Jesus sitting on the throne of David throne is yet to come. At this present time Jesus is sitting on the throne of His Father.

The answer to the question of, Jesus why are you waiting so long, is as simple as the children of Israel being delivered from Egyptian bondage and going to the Promised Land. Someone might think, “It can’t be that simple!” Paul said those examples were written for our admonition, so let's learn from them.

1 Cor 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

admonition is #3559 nouthesia; calling attention to, i.e. (by implication) mild rebuke or warning: 

God heard the groaning of the children of Israel and sent Moses to deliver them from Egyptian slavery with plans for them to go to land that God had promised to the descendants of Abraham

Exod 2:24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Moses shows up with mighty signs and miracles until Pharaoh let the children of Israel go. Once they crossed the Red Sea it should have been an eleven-day journey to the Promised Land. How long did it take them to arrive? Almost 40 years! We might guess that many of them said, Moses why is it taking so long for us to get there? Big note here! How many of the original Israelites that left Egypt actually entered into the Promised Land? Only two! Moses even fouled out of the game. Was God the problem or were the Israelites the problem? We at JT-ministries would say the Israelites.

1 Cor 10:4 And (the Israelites) did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6a Now these things were our examples,

they were overthrown is #2693 katastronnumi; to strew down, i.e. (by implication) to prostrate (slay):

Jude, the half brother of Jesus, also writes of these Israelites in the wilderness and uses them of an example of apostates in his book of the Apostates.

Jude 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

5  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

destroyed is #622 apollumi; to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively:

Who saved the people out of the land of Egypt? It was the Lord. Who afterward destroyed them that believed not? It was the Lord. Heavy stuff!

Jude was writing his book some 38 years after Jesus ascended into heaven. The early church started out like gangbusters but within these 38 years they were losing their steam and the power of God. Jude is giving a dire warning to the early church about becoming apostate. Jude writes that they should earnestly contend for the faith, which was once delivered unto the saints. That would indicate that they had lost it. The examples that Jude uses to warn the early church apostates are all disastrous examples of those that went apostate.

When we study the 7 epistles that Jesus dictated to John to the 7 churches in Revelation, we see a promise made to each church that overcomes. The sad fact is that all 7 of those churches are just ruins to be visited today. Not one church was an over comer.

We here believe that the original Israelites had to opportunity to posses the Promised Land but they went apostate into unbelief and did not enter in. Even as great as Moses was, he blew it and did not enter into the Promised Land. We also believe that the early church actually had the opportunely to usurer in the harpazo but they their faith diminished and they became apostate. 

We also believe that every generation since the early church has had the opportunity to believe the Word of God and usurer in the harpazo but have not engaged the enemy, the seed of the serpent, in warfare and put the enemy under foot. The Lord initiated the “seed war” in Gen 3:15.

How long did God tell His Son to sit at His right hand? Until the enemy was put under foot! How did Jesus describe to the disciples how the enemy would be put under foot? Jesus said that He would build His church and give them the keys to the kingdom and the church would be in charge of binding and loosing on the earth and overcoming the gates of hell. (See the post The M.O. of the church)

Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

end is #4930 sunteleia; from 4931; entire completion, i.e. consummation (of a dispensation):

#4931sunteleo; to complete entirely; generally, to execute (literally or figuratively):

Jesus is sitting on the throne of God at the right hand and how long will Jesus be sitting there expecting? Until His enemies be made His footstool!

Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

The scriptures state that God is in the generation of the righteous. The body of Christ now still has the opportunity to turn form our apostasy and become the generation of the righteous and put the enemy under foot. If we do, then we will usurer in the harpazo, the rapture!” The other option is to refuse to engage in the “seed war” and then we will pass the opportunity and pass the war campaign to another generation.

Ps 14:5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

In this dispensation, there is still a great promise to the church that overcomes. Strangely enough the same promise was made to the apostate church of the Laodiceans. The church at Laodicea did not overcome!

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We should ask our self, are we are waiting on Jesus or is Jesus waiting on us? Is Jesus asking the question of us, “Church, why are you waiting so long?” I am sitting, waiting and expecting My body, which is the church, to engage the enemy and put the enemy under foot! Then I will be able to come to gather you unto Myself by executing the harpazo!

Grace and Peace multiplied in the name of Jesus. 

Compiled by Jerry Thomas 06/09/2025

All scripture references are (KJV) unless otherwise denoted.

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