“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:42 (NLT)

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” Acts 1:11 (NLT)

Jesus is coming again! It is promised again and again in the New Testament. It is mentioned more than three hundred times across nearly every  New Testament book. His return will be personal, visible, with unimaginable glory. He will return in his resurrection body. He will return with great power and might, and he will bring judgment upon the earth.

We will offer no predictions, only the assurance that the day is nearer than when we first believed. Are we watching with anticipation for his return? Historically, the Second Coming of Christ receives more attention when times are tough. Christ warned us about falling asleep and not being ready when the bridegroom returns.

Peter tells us: Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?” 2 Peter 3:3–4 (NLT)

What Peter didn’t say is that the cause of the world’s mocking the return of Jesus is due to unwise and foolish predictions. Why can we not be content with the fact that Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour?

What can we do if our anticipation for his return has faded away? It is after all the “blessed hope of every believer.” It is time to wake up and get ready.

Our Blessed Hope

At the same time we wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearance of our great God and savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13 (CEB)

When the return of Christ is not emphasized properly, it can lead us into all kinds of problems. Of the big three, faith, hope, and love, the value of hope is sometimes underestimated. But how important is hope? And even more importantly, how important is the hope of Christ’s return?

In Proverbs we read: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 (NLT). Hope is essential to health and well-being, and when we do not get what we hope for, we are affected adversely.

Paul warned: And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 1 Corinthians 15:19 (NLT). Hope beyond this life is essential. If we lose sight, or minimize the importance of Christ coming again, we face the possibility of losing focus on the things that really matter.

Could it be that one of the problems with the church at Laodicea was that they forgot the promise of his coming? Their attitude was: You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Revelation 3:17 (NLT)

When life is good and we have everything that we think we need, we give little thought to eternity, and Christ’s return. Perhaps the fixation on prosperity serves as a distraction to what is most important. If our blessed hope is not to see Jesus, we are missing the mark.

Time Is Running Out

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11 (NLT)

Paul wrote these words two thousand years ago, urging his readers to wake up because time was running out and our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. There have been believers in every generation since his time that have been anxiously looking forward to the day of Christ’s return.

Christ may or may not return in our lifetimes, but that is not the point. We must always be ready. The desire of our heart should be to be with Jesus. But even then, we may be conflicted. Paul said that it was his desire to be with the Lord, but it was better for the Philippians for him to remain. (Philippians 1:20-26)

The promise of the second coming has often been used as a motivator for evangelism. Again, this misses the point. People are born, they live, and then they die. Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke said, “We have one generation in which to save a generation…”

I came of age in an era when Christ’s imminent return was fervently anticipated. End times prophecy was a hot commodity. Predictions were made, and many were disappointed. Nevertheless, the coming again of Christ must be our blessed hope. We should always have an eager anticipation to see our Lord and Savior face-to-face. Jesus will return.

One More Day, One More Year

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 1 Peter 1:13 (NLT)

It is time for action. We must redeem the time that we have left. Like Paul, we should be torn between going and staying. On one hand, we want to see Jesus, face to face. On the other hand, there is a world that still desperately needs to know that there is a God in heaven who loves them, and a Savior who died for their sins. In light of this, perhaps we should be asking God, “Give us one more day, one more year, because there is so much work still to be done.”

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20 (NLT)

The words of the song come to mind:

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Jesus is coming again!

Steve Ekeroth

Photo by Steve Ekeroth: Alaska 2024