One of my pastor friends who grew up here, wrote recently, “Jesus is coming. On the final cataclysmic Day of the Lord. The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. He will appear in the sky in triumphant glory with all of His angels. He will then judge the living and the dead.”
What do you think about the second coming of Christ? Since my childhood, I have seen movies and read books explaining the timing of Christ’s return. Some of the writers who seemed to be so sure they knew the timing of Christ’s return have proven inaccurate in their predictions. So, if I wanted to understand the second coming, I probably would not consult them.
What if we went to the source? When Jesus’ disciples asked him about his return, they seemed to equate his coming with the destruction of the temple. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Jesus did not return at that time. But the early believers lived with an eye to the sky. As far as I know, they did not have charts to explain the sequence. They just had Jesus’ words. So do we.
What did Jesus say? Jesus promised he would return personally. He himself will come on the clouds of heaven.
Not only will Jesus come personally, but visibly. Jesus described his return as something visible like “lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west.” People will mourn as every eye sees him. So Jesus’ return does not appear to be a secret event. The whole world will know when he returns.
Christ will reveal himself in great power when he returns. Nobody will wonder who is in charge when Jesus returns. He will come victoriously, not to take sides but to take over. It won’t matter who the President is when Jesus returns. He will not convene the Congress. Television commentators will have nothing to say. Nobody will ask what world leaders think. When the trumpet sounds, his angels will gather his people. Then he will judge the living and the dead.
Jesus will come personally, visibly, powerfully, and victoriously. How then shall we live? Repent and get ready. If we stay ready, we will never have to get ready. Are you ready? Am I?
