Earlier this evening I walked into the south entrance of Bellevue’s Crossroads Mall, intent on breezing through the used book store there.

But I’d taken barely a dozen steps when a cheerful male voice came over the sound system. “Attention, shoppers,” he said. “Crossroads Mall is now closed.”

I looked around me. A lot of people were still strolling along the walkway. Little kids were still riding the mechanical horses and other animals. Nobody seemed stressed out at the announcement.

Suddenly there was a bit of static, and another announcement came on the air. It was the same cheerful guy, but this time he told us that the mall would be closing in 15 minutes.

What must have happened was that the person in charge of playing the pre-recorded announcement must have clicked on the wrong one. In reality, we were given a quarter-hour reprieve.

Shortly after Jesus’ ascension to heaven. His followers believed that His return would be soon. And that’s what they preached, and that’s what people believed. Peter tried to temper their enthusiasm with statements like ” The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)

Some people ask me, “Why doesn’t Jesus hurry up and come back?” I grin and say, “I’m sure glad He didn’t return before I was born!”

Another way I try to explain what looks to us like a delay is that we’re all living in what you might call time bubbles. I entered mine when I was born, and will exit it when I die.

This means that it doesn’t really matter how many years it will be before the Second Coming happens. (Bible prophecy makes it very clear, of course, that time can’t last much longer.) When I pass to my rest, the next thing I will see will be Jesus’ return.

Are you ready? For a review of what the Bible teaches about salvation, click this link:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/salvation