"Daddy, Are We There Yet?"

Excitement ran high in the Frazier household that summer. We had talked about going to California to visit my sister and Marlys' sister and their families for many months. Packing lists had been prepared. The old station-wagon had been serviced. The day finally arrived when we loaded the back end with a mountain of stuff - you would have thought we were going to be gone longer than 3-weeks. Then we seated all three of our children into the back seat. Hardly any snuggle room between them. And, early one morning, we were off. We had not driven very far down the highway when Beth, our youngest, said, "Daddy, are we there yet?!" I tried to explain to the kids that it would take about 3 days to get to where we were going. Finally, at a roadside stop, I got the map out and showed them and then put them in charge of following where we were going.

I thought of Beth's comment the other day as I was preparing a message for an upcoming Prophecy Conference I have been invited to share at this summer. "Are we there yet?" In essence Beth was asking, "Daddy, how much longer until we get there?" Many believers today are asking a similar question, "How much longer until Jesus returns?" In the hearts of many there is that growing sense of excitement that something is about to happen. How soon will it be?

I am eternally grateful to God for His providing a map for us. Just as I pointed out to my children what to look for and what to expect as we proceeded down the road to California, so God has pointed out to us, in His Word, what to look for and what to expect as we anticipate the return of His Son. Jesus, in His sermon to His disciples about the end times, commonly called the Olivet Discourse, shared many things they should expect: wars and rumors of war, famines, ecological disasters, false religions, etc. Perhaps you should read Matthew 24 and 25 once again. And then there are the prophets - you know, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Twelve - whose books are filled with mileage markers pointing to the end when Jesus returns. Let's see: there is Israel's return to the land - happened in 1948; there is the desert blossoming as a rose - just visit Israel today and you see it happening right before your very eyes; there is the coalition of nations who desire Israel's demise - it seems almost everyday you read about one of the Arab nations who calls for Israel's annihilation; and the list could go on for pages.

Friends, these are just mileage markers. They are just points on a map. But as we near each one - and in some cases pass them by, they are an indication that we are getting closer to the end of the journey.

I remember our children became adept at map-reading that summer. Beth's question of "Daddy, are we there yet?" became "Daddy, we are getting closer, aren't we?" Perhaps it is time that, as believers, we get back to map-reading. Perhaps it is time that we get back into the Word and discover exactly where we are and where we are going. Yes, we are getting closer. The composer of that old Negro-spiritual was correct when he wrote: "Soon and very soon we are going to see the King...Hallelujah!"