The next entry for my Blog is He’s Coming Back Again, which was written by and performed by the Galileans in 1977. A link to the Shiloh Quartet singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.
He’s Coming Back Again
All the pain and shame they caused my blessed Savior,
All the scars that marred the body of my Lord;
All the miles between this earth and God’s blue heaven,
Could not keep Him from returning back to earth.
He’s coming back again and I’m the only reason,
Like a groom He’ll be returning for His Bride;
Preparations have been made; I’ll soon be going,
I’ve a mansion over on the other side.
When He comes again, He will not need a manger,
Earthly man will not be mocking His sweet name;
King of Kings and Lord of Lords He’ll be returning,
With great triumph He’ll be rapturing the saints.
He’s coming back again and I’m the only reason,
Like a groom He’ll be returning for His Bride;
Preparations have been made; I’ll soon be going,
I’ve a mansion over on the other side.
We often hear about the pain and suffering that Christ endured for us. We read a lot about this in our bibles and hear it often in church. As Jesus entered his ministry, he was constantly attacked. The Jews wanted him dead, claiming he was a false prophet. Many considered him a type of devil because of the miracles he performed and the messages he delivered. He had to leave almost every town he entered because they were upset with him claiming to be the son of God and working miracles in the name of God. They beat him, spat upon him, threatened to stone him, yelled at him, and mocked him. If we look at his life from a pure human perspective, his life on earth would have been miserable.
I am not sure that any of us know where heaven is; it could be a long way away or it could be in skies above us. All we know for sure is that it is our eternal home if we have accepted Christ as our personal savior. So, we don’t know how far Jesus has to come to get back to us on earth, but we do know that he promised he would return. He will first come in the clouds and bring his people home, as told to us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. He will later return and establish his kingdom on earth.” As the song says, wherever heaven is, it is not too far away for Jesus to return for his people. His return also shows us how much he truly loves us; he is coming back despite the way he was treated while he was in human form. Yes, he has the scars from his time on our earth, but his love is so much stronger than the scars and the pain he endured.
As I look at the chorus, one line that really stands out to me is the one: He’s coming back and I’m the only reason. I suppose the question is, isn’t he coming for everyone and not just me? It is true that he is coming for all of those who loved him and accepted him as their personal savior, but he is also coming back for each of us as individuals. When I try to make sense of this, I relate it to a father or mother who has been away from their children for a long period of time. When the parent returns home, they are so glad to see all of their children and give them a group hug; but they also hug each child individually and have special words for each one. This is the type of relationship Christ has with us. We are not just part of the church or just part of the Christian family, we all have our own personal relationship with Christ. It is true that each of us are the only reason he is coming back.
The songwriter also compares the return of Jesus to the groom returning home to his bride. The church is often referred to as the bride of Christ and I believe the church to be those who have accepted Christ, not necessarily everyone in a church or a denomination. We don’t know when Christ is returning, but we as loved ones need to be ready. His return tells us that our heavenly home is ready and he is taking us home to the new home he has prepared for us. Just as he told us in John 14:2-5 that he will come back and bring us back with him to our mansion in heaven, “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. 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.” We don’t know when he will return and when our heavenly mansion will be all set for us, so we better be ready to go at any time.
When Jesus comes back, he will be seen as the person he always claimed to be. He will come back in power and majesty and with his angels. He will not come as a baby depending on others for its care. Those who have mocked him in the past will tremble in fear upon his return; there will be no more humiliation of him or mocking. He will be the all-powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords that no one would dare challenge. As his glory shines upon the world, the believers will rise up to go with him to their heavenly homes. The days of sadness, tears, and earthly despair will be over.
One day, he is coming back for each of us as individuals and taking all of his family to our eternal homes. Now is the time to think about what you need to do to be ready.
Click to Hear the Shiloh Quartet Sing He’s Coming Back Again