Preparing The Coming Of The Lord

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

December 03, 2025

in Spritual Growth

No Comments

53

Today, we begin another new Church year, liturgically known as the First Sunday of Advent. At this time, we are preparing for the coming of the Lord. We commonly refer to this as Christmas, but what the Word is really referring to is the 2nd Coming of the Lord. It says that the Mountain (the Church) will become the Chief Cornerstone, and people will say, “Let us go the House of the Lord, and learn from it.” The Word of the Lord will come from Jerusalem. God is the Chief of the Mountain. Our Psalm reading today is revealing what is happening at present which is being fulfilled at this time.

If we do not know the Old Testament, we will not know the New. The Prophets of old prophesied what was to come and that the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Law. We cannot separate the new from the old. We should really be preparing for things to come. Owe nothing to anyone but love. God is love. It is the basic foundation of who He is and what He does. It’s not a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers. God made us as a family. A family who should care for each other. When we only take care of ourselves and do not show any concern for our neighbor at all, that is not what God intends things to be. We are to put on Christ. Put on His image and likeness. It’s not about what we want. It’s about what we can do for others.

The coming of the Lord will be like the time of Noah. Noah was given specific instructions by God to build an ark. The people were mocking him, eating and merry making, marrying and giving in marriage, not believing in the principles by which Noah stood for because he was righteous. They did not pay attention to Noah at all. Two men in the field- one will be taken; one will be left. This means that one is so consumed with the things of this world, so entangled with daily affairs and does not have time for the things if God will be separated from the one who follows God’s ways.

God has provided everything that we ever needed until the end of time. Everything was functioning in perfection. This shows how much God loves us. It was sin that brought about the destruction and unrest in the world. The bible talks about the Millennium, a period of time where the devil will be chained and locked up for a thousand years and will not be able to tempt man. God loves mankind so much that he gives man upon chances upon chances to repent, after which comes the Great Judgment. We have hope, if we really put Christ in our lives.