When Christ returns, He will do so as conquering King. Luke records the immediate scene after Jesus had spoken His last words to His disciples and ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). Immediately after Christ’s ascension, “two men stood by them in white robes.” The pair of “men” were angels in human form, as their “white robes” attest. What these angels say to the disciples is worth our attention, “Jesus will come in the same way as you saw Him go.” Jesus’ return, like His ascension, will be bodily and visible. Since Christ’s ascension, His followers have been anticipating His return. It makes sense that believers anticipate the return of Jesus. After all, the second coming of Jesus Christ is the hope of believers that God is in control of all things and is faithful to the promises and prophesies in His Word.
In His first coming, Jesus came as a baby. He fulfilled all the prophesies relating to His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. The prophecies that remain of Him speak of His second coming. In Jesus’ first coming, He was a suffering Servant; in His second coming, He will be the conquering King. He arrived in humble circumstances in His first coming, but in His second coming, He will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.
The second coming of Jesus is spoken in detail in Revelation 19:11-16. What is being described in this passage is the last battle between Christ and the forces of evil, resulting in their defeat and Christ’s victory. This passage shows the single greatest promise of history: the return of Christ. Jesus is described as armed for battle. Jesus is also depicted as the Messiah who will “rule” the nations “with a rod of iron,” judging justly and striking down the wicked. Further, as the Divine Warrior who treads the “winepress” of God’s “wrath,” His robe is dipped in His foes’ blood (cf. Isa 63:1-6). This is quite a description! In short, Revelation 19:11-16 presents us with a spectacular picture of Jesus, the conquering King.
Scripture teaches that Christ’s return is imminent. In other words, His return could occur at any moment. We, like Paul, are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Knowing that the Lord could come back today, some are tempted to stop what they are doing and just wait for Him. I want to suggest there is a better response.
How shall we live while we await the second coming of Jesus? First, we need to be prepared. We have an account in Matthew 24 where the disciples ask Jesus when He would come in power and what they could expect. Jesus’ reply emphasized the events that would take place prior to His return. However, He pointed out that His followers should be less concerned with knowing the exact date and more concerned with being prepared.
Second, while we wait, we need to be cautious. We must be aware of the signs of Christ’s return while realizing these signs are often misread. The disciples in Matthew 24 ask Jesus for the sign of His return, and Jesus’ first response was, “Don’t let anyone fool you.” The fact is that whenever we look for signs, we become highly susceptible to being deceived and distracted from our mission. There are false prophets with counterfeit signs of spiritual power and authority and well-intended speculative theologians who unintentionally lead fellow believers astray. By the way, if you need to be told that the Messiah has come, He hasn’t. Christ’s coming will be evident to everyone. The only way to keep from being deceived is to focus on Jesus and His words (keep the main thing the main thing).
Lastly, we need to be diligent. If we knew the precise date of Christ’s return, we might be tempted to be lazy in our daily living for Jesus. I remember growing up and Dad telling me to get the lawn mowed before he came home from work. I would ask, “When are you going to be home.” When I was smart, I would complete it as soon as possible. When I wasn’t, I would put it off, do what I preferred, then frantically try to get it done before he got home. I can still see his face on those occasions when I was still mowing as he pulled into the driveway. Knowing that Christ’s return can occur anytime should motivate us to actively be about the Lord’s work. We should not live irresponsibly, sitting and waiting, doing nothing. We’re not to use Christ’s patience in returning as an excuse to be lazy with our faith and not join the Lord in building His kingdom.
Developing a false sense of security based on precise calculations of events or letting our curiosity about the end times divert us from doing God’s work hurts us and others. We are to be everyday missionaries in the everyday mission fields where we live, work, go to school, and play. Jesus said that before He returned, the Gospel would be preached worldwide. This is the mission of all believers.
Jesus shared about the end times to show His followers the urgency of spreading the Good News of salvation to everyone. Now, believers have nothing to fear about the Lord’s return; we should eagerly anticipate it. Those yet to receive Christ don’t have to fear it either; they can receive Him today. But, knowledge of the return of Christ ought to motivate the believer to share the Gospel and those yet to receive Christ to receive Him as Savior and Lord because when Christ returns, we will not be given another chance to do either.
The apostles lived and served knowing that Jesus could return in their lifetime, but they did not stop and wait. There is no indication that they invested any significant amount of time trying to speculate when He would return. Instead, they focused on lovingly and obediently fulfilling Christ’s call and command to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). As the apostles lived to the fullest as if every day was their last, we, too, need to view every day as a gift and use it to know God and make Him known. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!