Joy Awaits at His Coming

Jesus is coming again. That single sentence carries more power and joy than the world can contain. And yet, many believers live with little anticipation, little longing, and little marveling at the return of their King. But why?

Perhaps it’s because we’ve missed something crucial not only about the second coming itself, but about how deeply it connects to the very heartbeat of God’s love for us. The truth is, Jesus’s return will not only be his ultimate glorification it will be our ultimate satisfaction.

And that changes everything.

Why Jesus’s Return Matters

In his book Come, Lord Jesus, pastor and theologian John Piper explores the second coming of Christ not just as a future event, but as a personal, spiritual, and emotional reality that should shape how we live and what we long for today.

Central to Piper’s vision is a truth he’s preached for decades: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. This foundational idea of Christian Hedonism isn’t suspended at the end of time it culminates there. The joy of Jesus’s return is not merely in what we will receive, but in who we will finally see and the marveling that will explode from our hearts in response.

Christ Exalted in Marveling Saints

Consider Paul’s stunning description in 2 Thessalonians 1:10:

“When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed.”

Here we see two glorious realities:

1. Jesus will be glorified in his people.

2. Jesus will be marveled at by his people.

And they are not separate realities. To marvel at someone is to be captivated to feel wonder, amazement, and deep joy. As Piper explains, “Being marveled at is the way Christ will be glorified when he comes.” This is not admiration from a distance it’s astonished joy up close.

Marveling is not a dry theological thought. It’s an emotion a powerful, beautiful, soul-filling feeling. We go to mountains, oceans, and starlit skies to marvel. But at Jesus’s return, the truest marvel will arrive in glory. And in that moment, when we are most amazed, he is most glorified.

That’s the very heart of Christian Hedonism: our joy in Jesus is the highest expression of his worth.

Not Christ-Exalting at Our Expense

Sometimes we imagine that God’s pursuit of his own glory must somehow come at the expense of our joy. But this is a false dichotomy. In fact, Christ exalts himself by giving us joy in his glory.

The second coming, then, is not a moment where we stand in silent awe, trembling before a distant King. It is a moment of radiant rejoicing, where our joy rises as his glory is revealed and in our joy, his glory is magnified.

This is why Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:8:

“There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

The crown isn’t for the religiously dutiful or the merely curious. It’s for those who love his appearing. Not just tolerate it. Not just believe in it. But yearn for it. Long for it. Rejoice in it. This kind of love is a love of delight a love that wants to see and savor the one it loves.

And so, to love Christ’s appearing is to love the moment when your deepest joy and God’s highest glory finally meet face-to-face.

What Will That Day Be Like?

On that day, believers will not merely be relieved that suffering is over or sin is gone though both will be true. We will be filled with wonder. Astonishment. Satisfaction. We will marvel.

And in that marveling, Jesus will be exalted. He will receive the glory due his name, not simply because he demands it, but because we can’t help but give it, overwhelmed by joy in his presence.

This is the future God has prepared for those who love him a future where the broken are restored, the longing are satisfied, and the redeemed are overwhelmed by the beauty of their Savior.

As Revelation 22:20 declares:
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Let that be your prayer. Not just because he’s coming with justice and healing in his wings but because when he comes, you will see him, and you will marvel. And that marveling will be the greatest joy you’ve ever known.

Come, Lord Jesus. We are ready to marvel.

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