³⁷ For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

Anticipation of Christ’s return has been a hallmark of Christianity since the ascension of our Savior and Lord into heaven (Acts 1:10). Even the opening of this letter to the Hebrews 1:1-2 indicates that these are the “last days.” Many hold to the great doctrine of the faith, the imminent return of Christ, that He can come at any time, in “a moment, in the twinkling of the eye” (1 Cor 15:52).

But where is His coming? The early Christians seemed to take this as being within their lifetime. However it has been close to 2,000 years since the promise of His return was uttered. How long is “a little while?” This vexing question has given rise to many reports of impatience Christians proclaiming Christ’s return in their generations – all of which have obviously come short. Some have even redefined the Lord’s return to be a spiritual event, with the church now being in a new age, beyond the “last days,” with the kingdom now here, with a new presence of Christ.

How can we make sense of this, and at the same time avoid embarrassing rationalizations? It is important to recognize that our passage (along with the next verse) is a quotation with a small change from Habakkuk 2:3b-4, where the vision of God’s destroying the Chaldeans was meant to encourage the patience of the suffering Jewish people. In our passage, the focus is on the return of Christ, to finally do away with the Jewish system and usher in a new age.

Suffering and persecution have long taught Christians to recalibrate their sense of God’s timing. Is this not why Peter writes to the scattered believers, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’ ” (2 Pet 3:3–4). He goes on to say, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8–9).

In the grand scheme of things our God’s “little while” may encompass a lifetime or two thousand years, but when He comes, it will be like a “little while” especially compared to an eternity of time without end. Therefore, from such an expansive, larger view of things, we can hold on for “a little while!”

Lord, yes I can hold on a “little while” longer, knowing that You are returning soon, very soon. As John wrote, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20)