TODAY’S WORLD: Ready for His Return
Signs of Christ’s Second Coming…..
Since the beginning of Church history believers have been looking for Christ’s return. At the time of our Lord’s ascension to heaven the promise that “this same Jesus” would return was given by “two men … in white apparel” who appeared before the watching disciples (Acts 1:10,11 KJV). Their words simply confirmed promises made earlier by the Lord Jesus in verses such as John 14:3.
Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians are believed to be some of the first of his recorded writings. In them there are indications that Paul himself looked for the Lord’s return rather than for death in that he included himself in the words “we which are alive and remain” (1 Th.4:17) at the time of His coming again. Paul and many succeeding generations have lived their lives and passed from this scene. The promise of Christ’s return has not yet been realized, but we are now more than two thousand years closer to its fulfilment.
Down through the centuries there have been events which made believers think that the return of the Lord Jesus must be very near. Messages encouraging believers to “look up” were preached in the sincere belief that Christ was coming very soon. Stirring though those messages may have been, it was evidently not the moment God had planned for the return of His Son. We are still waiting for Him to come again from heaven.
Events taking place as this article is being written could be significant pointers to Christ’s return, but by the time this is read the world scene may be very different. It may turn out that those events were not so significant after all, and subsequent happenings among the nations may appear to possess greater significance. Bearing this in mind we will approach the subject in a broader way by looking at trends rather than specific events.
POINTERS TO CONSIDER
In the New Testament a picture is painted of the kind of days there will be before the return of Christ. The Lord Jesus drew the attention of His listeners to “the days of Noah” in Luke 17:26,27. Before the Flood men and women were living busy lives and were totally indifferent while Noah preached of coming judgment. Those days were marked by corruption and violence (Gen.6:11). “The days of Lot” were also mentioned by the Lord Jesus (Lk.17:28,29). As in Noah’s day, people carried on living their sinful lives regardless of God’s displeasure.
Readers in many parts of the world will be well aware that we are living in very similar days now. Society is plagued with corruption and violence, while homosexuality has become rampant and is shamelessly promoted. These pointers to Christ’s return must not be ignored, for they are signs of coming judgment.
Those who track the development of policies within the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Economic Forum will be well aware of global agendas which are being pursued. Books written by Klaus Schwab of the W.E.F. reveal his intention of implementing “The Great Reset” or “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”. Agenda 2030 with its seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals” is being pushed through globally by the United Nations. The intention is to dramatically alter our lives and control what we do. Klaus Schwab and his “adviser” Yuval Harari make no secret of their delight in promoting transhumanism. They describe a kind of Humanity Version 2.0 which will replace the humanity we know today. They imply that God’s creation of humanity was deficient and they can do better!
The plan of the globalists is to take control of our lives through implementing Central Bank Digital Currency and a Digital ID for every person on the planet. It is not possible to discuss these matters at length here, but readers are encouraged to engage in their own research. For those who do, it will soon become clear that technology already exists to introduce the system of the Beast where buying and selling will be impossible without having received his “mark” (Rev.13:17). This alone should make us sit up and take notice. Surely the Lord’s return is near!
“WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS”
Shortly before His death the Lord Jesus was asked by His disciples about “the sign” of His coming (Mt.24:3). Rather than giving them one particular sign the Lord Jesus painted a picture of what life would be like from that moment on and particularly in the days immediately preceding His return. His first warning is one of particular importance: “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Mt.24:4). We need that warning as much now as when our Lord first gave it. He also spoke of coming “wars and rumours of wars” but told His disciples not to be troubled by these things (v.6). This decade has not been without its share of wars which have claimed countless lives and caused untold destruction and misery.
Events in Israel are always significant too. Many prophetic Scriptures reveal what is going to take place in that country during the Great Tribulation, culminating in the Battle of Armageddon. Although we believe the Rapture of the Church will take place before the commencement of that significant period of 7 years, we may see some of the pieces falling into place in our day.
DON’T JUST UNDERSTAND!
Important as it is to understand what God has revealed in His Word, we need more than just head knowledge of what is going to take place. As we study Scripture we discover the great emphasis that is placed on serving the Lord faithfully as we wait for Him to come. This practical focus is found in many of our Lord’s parables.
In Luke 19:12-27 Jesus presented a parable about a nobleman who entrusted his servants with responsibilities before setting out for a far country. While the citizens of his home country hated the nobleman, his servants were provided with equal sums of money to use in his absence. The story describes how some were faithful with the money entrusted to them and used it wisely, but one was lazy and failed to use what he had been given. When the master returned he called his servants to see how responsibly they had acted, rewarding some for their diligence. After this he meted out judgment on the citizens who had shown their hatred of him.
The application to be made from this parable is very straightforward. We who belong to the Lord Jesus are His servants and are responsible to use wisely what has been entrusted to us. While our Lord is despised and rejected in this world we are to serve Him faithfully. The servants in the parable knew that their master was going away “to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return” (v.12). In the same way we know our Lord is destined to reign in His kingdom and will therefore return, but we also know that we are accountable to Him. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” in order for our service to be assessed by Him (2 Cor.5:10). It is therefore vital for us to use our time wisely and serve Him while we are able. We must never lose sight of the fact that we are accountable to Him.
CONSTANT READINESS
Various Scriptures reveal how important it is to remain in a constant state of readiness as we think of Christ’s promised return. The Apostle John wrote, “And now, little children, abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 Jn.2:28). The Lord Jesus could appear at any time, but are we ready to meet Him? Where might we be when He returns from heaven? Would we be ashamed if He found us in a certain place at His return? This thought ought to challenge us when we think about the world’s places of entertainment. Surely we would not want to be “caught out” and unprepared for Him by being in a place of which He would not approve.
The Christian believer is like a soldier facing combat. We are in a battle against the forces of evil. Using this illustration, the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy that the effective soldier will not entangle himself with unrelated civilian affairs if he wishes to please his commanding officer (2 Tim.2:4). As we fight against the powers of darkness it is easy to become sidetracked and lose our focus. Surely we should aim to please the One who has chosen us to be His soldiers. Like Paul, we should seek to “be accepted of Him” at all times (2 Cor.5:9).
IN ANTICIPATION
Although the return of the Lord Jesus is certain, we do not know when it will be. His message to the church at Philadelphia was, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev.3:11). These words indicate how it is possible for a reward to be lost. In the light of His coming, we must “hold fast” to that which we possess in order not to lose it. He will come “quickly” – without advance notification – and it will be soon as far as He is concerned. The final promise in the Bible is one made by the Lord Jesus, “Surely I come quickly” (Rev.22:20). We ought to respond gladly by saying, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (v.20).
At the beginning of this article we highlighted a number of reasons why we believe the return of Christ is very near. We must remain vigilant, living for Him, serving Him, and looking for Him. May we be ready for His return!