The Lord is Near

Q: In all due humility, I would like to ask if the writer of Philippians is wrong about the verse below -

Philippians 4: 4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

When the writer wrote to the church 2000 years ago, he claimed that `The Lord is Near`. This seems to suggest that the writer was telling the church that the second coming of the Lord is an event that's coming their way soon (something that they will experience in their lifetime). Is it right to say that the bible is wrong in predicting this?

Many Thanks

A: When we make the conclusion that the Bible is wrong we are by default saying that we have perfect understanding of the subject at hand and that God is in error. Chances are the opposite is true and we are the ones who are wrong. For example, let us say that God came to you and said that He was going to intervene in your life, and the life of your family and friends, and by doing so would affect the entire world. Well, it wouldn't be unrealistic for you to think that this intervention would take place immediately or fairly soon rather than thousands of years later. However, that is the case when we talk about Eve and her son Cain. Just after the Fall of Man, God told the serpent, Satan, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel (Genesis 3:15)." This is a messianic prophecy that the Lord Jesus Christ would come through the bloodline of Eve. Therefore, it would make perfect sense if Eve believed that she would give birth to the Messiah. In Genesis 4:1, it says, "Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain." The name Cain means "Here he is!" It is a way of saying someone of great importance and value has shown up.

Eve believed that the Messiah that God promised would come through her had arrived. However, as we all know, Cain was anything, but the Messiah as he would soon go down in history as the world's first murderer when he took the life of his brother, Abel. By the time Eve was pregnant with Abel she was probably wondering why she was about to give birth to another child. After all, she may have been under the impression that Cain was the savior. Therefore, what need would there be for her to suffer through the pain of a second pregnancy? Eve easily could have been upset with God. Did He lie when He gave the prophecy in Genesis 3? She must have been distraught by all that was taking place because the name Abel means "it is all in vain." She went from a triumphant exclamation when Cain arrived to the depths of despair when Abel was born. It was not that God was wrong, but that Eve's "interpretation" of what God meant was incorrect. The Messiah did eventually come through her, but it was 4,000 years later through another mother, Mary. I say all that to say that it is best to to assume we are the ones who are wrong rather than say that the author(s) of scripture, or God, are at fault.

In Philippians 4:4-5 it reads, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." When Paul, the author of Philippians, says that the "Lord is near," he is not necessarily making a statement about the Second Coming of Christ. In this particular case it is my understanding that Paul uses the word "near" to indicate a "place or position" held by Christians in relation to the Lord. In other words, he is talking about those who have "intimacy" with God. All Christians are near the Lord because not only does God indwell us in the person of the Holy Spirit, but also because the death of Jesus Christ has given us access to God. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)." Paul, in the book of Ephesians, uses the word "near" again to describe the Jewish nation, the chosen people of God, as opposed to those who are "far away," the Gentiles. "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near (Ephesians 2:17)." We must guard against reading into the scriptures our preconceived ideas about the meaning of scripture and then judging God, or the authors of scripture, as being incorrect when our conclusions do not line up with theirs.

In one sense, however, you are correct. Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32)." Jesus could come back at any moment. It is no different today than it was when Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians that sparked your question. To him Jesus could have come back at any moment. He, like few others, had a reason to believe this given the uniqueness of his encounter with the Lord on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-4). Regardless, whether it is the Second Coming or, more likely, an individual dying, they can be thrust into the presence of the Lord at any moment. So, in that sense the "Lord is near." That is why in the Gospel of Mark it says, "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:15)!" As a Christian we can rejoice in the fact that whether through death or the return of the Lord we are near to Him because we are in Him as His children. Let us be encouraged by this truth and use it as motivation to be a witness to the lost world of the salvation offered in Christ. When we are in the world, the Lord is near because wherever we are He is. And if an unbeliever comes our way we can thank the Lord He has given us an opportunity to tell others that the Lord is near and when He appears He will appear to "bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (Hebrews 9:28)."