12. Jesus will return

How many people believe nowadays that Jesus will return?

His coming and ministry on earth about 2000 years ago are events that have long-since been imprinted onto the memory of  mankind, having been historically registered as such.

Since then, mankind has continued to take its course in multiple fields: social, economical, political, cultural, scientifical and others.
There were and there are alternately flourishing times, but which were also marked by states of perturbation - both on familiar and on social level - that demand an answer.

In the whirl of countless problems of daily life man does not have the time and leisure to occupy himself - even for a little while - with the reading of a certain book (the Bible) which offers not only historical information about events that had taken place and have been archaeologically proven, but also unique prophetical revelations.

One of these - whose fulfillment still lies ahead - is the return of Jesus Christ.
This return will be not anymore the one of a man who will sacrifice his life, but of the God-man with power and great glory.

The last look his disciples had from Him has been the one of His ascention.
But in that very same moments there has been made to them - and also to the entire humanity from thence and of today - a promise: the one of His certain return.

”9 ... when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

(Acts 1. 9-11)

Will His return possibly happen in secrecy, being thus visible only to certain people?
Will He appear only at certain places?

The Bible tells us the following:

”3 ... the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.”

(Matthew 24.3-5, 23-26)

Jesus replies to His disciples’ question at first with a warning.
Animated with the desire to see His return come true, many people will be lead astray by persons who will affirm with strong conviction as being the Saviour himself.

It is important that until His return - namely in the manner as prophesied by himself - we should not let ourselves impressed and taken in by fascinating events („shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” - Matthew 24.24).

These ”false Christs, and false prophets” will try to convince through exceptional powers. Thus they will unperceivedly exert their influence on the emotions of the people.

The return of the Saviour Jesus Christ will be unique and indubitable, as furthermore told by himself:

”27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

(Matthew 24.27,30,31)

More than 500 years before Jesus’ birth on earth the prophet Daniel tells about a message he received from God in a night dream:

”13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

(Daniel 7.13,14)

In the last book of the Holy Scripture we find the following divine statements:

”7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

(Revelation 1.7,8)

This event will be thus seen and heard by every man on earth.
Jesus will appear at first from the air ”in the clouds of heaven”, ”with power and great glory” (Matthew 24.30), and not on the earth, amongst/from the people that surround us.

Are we able to know the exact moment of His return? Jesus tells us:

”36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

(Matthew 24.36)

What we could know though are the pre-announcing signs of His approaching return:

”6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

(Matthew 24.6-8)

Jesus tells us not to let ourselves be emotionally affected, by being afraid of the terrible events that happened already and are still to come, but to maintain our composure.

According to Jesus’ statements there is a direct correlation between the appearance of false religious teachers and the coming of hard times.
Why?

The inclination of the people to follow false ”Christs” and false religious teachers will be intensified by the increase of wars, epidemics, earthquakes, natural disasters.

Wars, epidemics, famines, etc. have always existed, but the possibility to take note of all these on any place of the earth (”rumours” of ...) has never been so far advanced as nowadays by means of mass media (especially over television and internet).

Once having heard of these things, frightened people will be susceptible to manipulations that could thus lead them to thoroughly entrust themselves to false teachers and prophets. But these will, after all, aim for power, wealth, fame, political influence, etc. (they could be identified even within the present official churches).
Usually people use to go regularly to church, bound by tradition, thinking that more than this is not required from them.
At this point there must be said, however, that only through the individual study of the Bible each of us could truly find the way to God by searching in the Scriptures, on which pages we find the true and realistic guidance, inspired by God Himself!

The importancy of the correlation between the contents of the Bible, eternal life and His Person is revealed to us by Jesus Himself, as follows:

”39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

(John 5,39) 

His prophetic speech with regard to the approach of His coming ends with following words:

”28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

(Luke 21.28)

Jesus says we should direct our look upwards, wherefrom our redemption will come.
This means we should direct our thoughts also heavenward, from where we expect the coming of our Saviour, and not only downward, searching for earthly solutions.

Earthquakes, wars etc. are merely first signs of these prophecies’ fulfilment.
The actual danger is, however, to be deceived and misleaded (”Take heed that no man deceive you”).

Although the first signs of His coming are known to us, these do not give us a dead certainty regarding the moment of His coming, as Jesus also says:

”44 ... be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

(Matthew 24.44)

”34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

(Luke 21.34-36)

The surfeit with food and the drunkenness as well as the cares of this life are features of people whose lives are based most often on unsoundly occupations and pleasures and who let themselves be troubled with the common worries of life.
For all these, whose world of thought do not exceed the present earthly horizon, the return of Jesus Christ will be completely unexpected and shall come on them ”as a snare”.

Each one of us could have priorities that seem to us of ”essential” importance, thus quite likely showing complete disregard to the promise of our Saviour.
We must indeed not neglect our daily commitments, but our first priority should be the certainty of Christ’s return.
There is always the danger of being seized with occupations that are incompatible with the will of God. That is why Jesus urges us to watch.

What does that mean: ”to watch”?

It means, to re-evaluate the priorities of our life: based on the biblical message, which is the Word of God for each of us.
It means, to bring fruit in our life according to the will of God.

And above all ”to watch” means, to believe that Jesus could return at any moment.