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We read this wonderful promise many times in the Bible. God sent His only begotten Son to this earth to reconcile humanity with God, the Creator, in Jesus Christ. But the series of events so special for us Christians—Jesus' birth, Jesus' sacrificial death on Golgotha, Jesus' victorious resurrection, Jesus' ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—is not yet complete. One glorious event, visible to all people, is still to come: Jesus' Second Coming!
“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen” (Revelation 1:7).
An event of utmost importance. But why?
After Jesus ascended into heaven in the cloud, the apostles received a promise: “As they gazed intently into the sky while he went up, suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11).
Whether humanity wants to believe it or not is irrelevant. God has proclaimed this promise through His angels. No one can change that.
In Matthew we read: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left” (Matthew 25:31-33).
Our lives are like a lifelong exam. And at the end comes the evaluation.
At Jesus' return, our eternal destiny will be determined. There will be two possibilities: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, and inherit the kingdom" (Matthew 25:34) or "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Our life is like a lifelong exam. And at the end comes the evaluation.
A surprise with far-reaching consequences
We would certainly like to know when our Lord Jesus will come. The disciples of Jesus felt the same way. They, too, wanted to know when it would happen. We can read Jesus' answer to this in chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthew. Verse 36 says: " But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but only the Father. "
People constantly try to pinpoint the exact time of the Second Coming. Many have already failed and will continue to fail because they don't believe the Bible. No one knows the day or the hour! It will be a surprise.
The Bible compares the unexpected coming of the Lord Jesus to the unexpected arrival of a thief. A thief doesn't announce the time of his burglary. Conversely, he comes at a completely inconvenient time, when no one is expecting him.
Simply inappropriate!
In Matthew we read: “ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be grinding grain; one will be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24:37-41).
Jesus' return will not take into account what we are currently occupied with.
Jesus' return will not take into account what we are currently occupied with. Whether someone is planning their wedding or is getting married, whether someone is building a house or moving house, whether someone is writing an exam or recovering from some stressful days; none of these important moments in life will be able to stop Jesus' coming. God's plan takes precedence!
On-call duty
Therefore Jesus says: “ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect ” (Mt 24:44).
Of course, plans are important for all of us: school, career, family. All these things need to be planned at the right time. But above all, it is fundamentally important that Jesus Christ always remains the center of our lives. Every undertaking must be in accordance with the will of our Savior. Why? Because our Lord needs faithful and wise servants. “ Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing such a thing when he comes ” (Matthew 24:46).
In the example given, the servant's task was to give food at the right time. Nothing more and nothing less. He was not to discipline his fellow servants or beat them. Nor was it his job to revel and feast with drunkards. As long as the servant fulfills his duties, he is considered wise and faithful. But as soon as he does what he is not supposed to do, he is called a bad servant.
It is of crucial importance what each individual Christian occupies themselves with. Are they things that the Bible very clearly and explicitly addresses to every Christian as instructions? Or are they tasks that have been assigned or entrusted to a specific member of the respective church community by the church leadership? Both must be carried out with the utmost care and faithfulness, as if one were expected to give an account of oneself at any moment.
It is bad when someone fails to fulfill their own duties and instead performs the tasks of another.
Paul also wrote about this in his second letter to Timothy: “ Complete your ministry ” (2 Timothy 4:5). Here, I would like to emphasize “ your ministry.” Faithful and wise is the one who reliably and conscientiously carries out the tasks entrusted to him and lives in expectation of his Lord.
Beware of deception! - What does the Bible say?
A deception maneuver (or diversionary maneuver) is an action designed to distract or confuse an opponent.
Despite this clear biblical call to readiness for service, the enemy of human souls repeatedly succeeds in distracting people from Jesus' return. Therefore, I would like to address some possible distractions or deceptions below.
Jesus warns: “ For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect ” (Mt 24:24).
When the true Christ comes, it will be visible to everyone.
When the true Christ comes, it will be visible to everyone. It will be obvious to the whole world. There will be no need to search for Christ. The Bible says, “ For as lightning comes from the east and is visible in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. […] And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory ” (Matthew 24:27, 30). Of this we can be certain: no one will miss Jesus!
Every prophetic pronouncement must be in accordance with the biblical teachings of Jesus Christ. And that is precisely the standard by which every prophecy is measured. Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians: “ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one we have preached to you, let him be accursed! ” (Galatians 1:8).
Peter also emphasizes the Bible as the basis very clearly: “ And so we hold fast to the prophetic word, which is completely true. You will do well to pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).
Even great signs and wonders are not decisive for belonging to Christ. We read about this in Matthew: “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Here Jesus clearly shows that it is crucial to live according to the will of the heavenly Father. It is not enough to call God Lord; what matters is to fear God. This means living in dependence on God and remaining "under God." Then God will truly know us.
Decline of piety
In addition to the aforementioned deceptive tactics, the enemy also uses other methods to distract people from their simplicity in relation to Christ. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this: “ For people will love themselves, be lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, hostile to good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. They have a form of godliness, but deny its power” (2 Timothy 3:2-5).
When we consider Jesus' parable of the rich farmer in Luke 12, we see that the rich man's carelessness due to his wealth became his downfall. The farmer had certainly worked hard for the abundant harvest. He was also willing to accept the investment risk and didn't shy away from building a new barn. "A good investment," he thought. Afterward, the farmer wanted to sit back and relax: "And I will say to myself, 'Soul, you have plenty laid up for many years; take your ease, eat and drink and be merry'" (Luke 12:19). But he had completely forgotten God in his plan.
The rich young man had a similar experience. He led an exemplary life. He was familiar with God's commandments and obeyed them. We read about his good testimony in Mark 10, beginning with verse 17. Nevertheless, there was something that became his downfall: his wealth. Jesus said to him, " You lack one thing! " (Mark 20:21). He lacked the treasure in heaven. The young man clung to his possessions. Even though he had conscientiously earned his wealth, he lacked the willingness to share it with the poor.
Paul also warns us against striving for earthly values. To the Philippians he wrote: “ For many, as I have often told you and now tell you again with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their stomach; they boast in their shame, their minds are set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). Paul rebukes Christians who pursue their desires and are oriented toward the earthly world.
For such people, everything revolves around the here and now, around themselves, their own ego, and the gratification of their own self-centered desires. These include wealth, physical attraction, recognition, and power. They are people who call themselves Christians, but have declared their own desires to be their god and serve only themselves. Such people have become hostile to the cross of Christ. They lack selflessness, sacrifice, and devotion. They lack the willingness to serve others and, in doing so, to make sacrifices themselves.
In the letter to the Romans we read: “ For although they knew God, they neither honored him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21-22). The preceding verses state that since the creation of the world, God has been perceived through reflection in his works. Although God reveals himself in his omnipotence and majesty, humanity is unwilling to honor and acknowledge him with gratitude. The consequences of this are described in the following verses of Romans 1. Such people are ruled by their immorality and godless behavior.
A wake-up call from Paul and Peter
I have only touched upon a few aspects that we can clearly see in our current times. Egoism (self-love), the pursuit of wealth, pride and arrogance, slander, disobedience, ingratitude, revenge, and violence are gaining ground. And into the midst of this era, the words of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians resound like a trumpet call: “ Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil ” (Ephesians 5:14-16).
Yes, some readers might now think, "We've been hearing these biblical warnings for ages, but Christ still hasn't come." This is precisely what the Apostle Peter writes about: " Above all, understand that in the last days scoffers will come, following their own desires. They will say, 'Where is this promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has been since the beginning of creation.' [...] The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance " (2 Peter 3:3, 4, 9).
It is undeniable that our Lord Jesus Christ will soon return. He will come to gather His church. And after that, He will also come to judge the world. Therefore, I want to remind you once again of the importance of being ready to serve our Savior.
Let us use the time allotted to us for the glory of God and the proclamation of His Gospel of Peace.
Let us use the time, energy, resources, and everything else God has given us for the glory of God and the proclamation of His gospel of peace, so that we may be found to be faithful and wise servants of our Lord.
Look up, Jesus is coming!
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be a terrible event for those who do not expect Him. Jesus Himself foretold this before His crucifixion: “ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us! ’” (Luke 23:30). But it will do them no good. God’s wrath and judgment will befall them.
But to us, who have believed in Christ and faithfully followed him, Jesus has assured us of a glorious word of comfort: “When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Hallelujah!
We have a multitude of role models of faith in the Bible. We have our forefathers in faith who went before us. Even in our time, we have people from whose faith we can learn. And they all have something in common: Christ is at the center of their lives! This is the key to eternal joy, which Jesus speaks of in the Gospel of John: “ Remain in me, and I will remain in you ” (John 15:4).
It is worth loving God!
It is worthwhile to live a life devoted to God. It is worthwhile to make sacrifices in this life. It is worthwhile to serve others. It is worthwhile to love God!
Then we will await the return of Christ in the confidence of the Apostle Paul.
“ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Anatoli Kramm
Lappenstuhl Municipality
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A tragedy: Believers argue about Christ's return.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
The believing Christian should live in joyful anticipation of Christ's return; and because this is such a vital part of the truth, the devil has always argued against it and tried to ridicule it. Indeed, one of his greatest successes is that he has managed to get people to discuss and argue about the details of the Lord's second coming—instead of looking for Him and waiting for Him.
Imagine a man who has been away from his family abroad for three years. Suddenly, he calls: "I've finished everything here and I'm coming home today."
After a few hours, he reaches the front door with his luggage. But inside, the family members are arguing heatedly about whether he'll arrive in the afternoon or evening, and what mode of transport he'll use. And so, no one is looking forward to his arrival.
Perhaps you say: "That's just a parable."
But what is the situation in the various Christian groups?
They argue and glare at each other. They debate whether and how He will come. This is the work of the devil: Christians argue about the details of the Lord's coming and forget what is truly important!
Do we truly long for the return of our Lord?
For the Son of Man will come in his Father’s glory with his angels… (Matthew 16:27).
The joyful and personal element in what we call the "blessed hope," the return of Christ to this earth, seems to have completely disappeared in our day.
If our Advent anticipation has lost its heartfelt longing, there must be reasons for this, and I believe I know them.
One reason lies simply in the fact that mainstream fundamentalist theology emphasized the value of the cross more than the beauty of the one who hung on it and died. This made the relationship of the saved person to Christ more contractual than personal. Christ's "work" was so overemphasized that it overshadowed the person of Christ; what He did for me then seemed more important than what He is for me!
Salvation is viewed like a contract that I have to "accept." Thus, the whole matter lacks emotional content.
We must love someone very much if we are to await their coming with watchful longing. This may explain the lack of power in Advent hope, even in those who still believe in it.
A look at history shows that times of suffering for the Church have always been times when it looked upwards. Persecutions have always sobered God's people and encouraged them to look forward to and long for the return of their Lord. God definitely wants to set us free from the earth – by the easy way, if possible; by the thorny one, if necessary!
Faithfulness and holiness are part of the return of Christ.
We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
The Bible disapproves of modern curiosity that plays with scripture and seeks only to impress a simple and gullible audience!
I cannot think of a single passage in the New Testament that speaks of the revelation, appearance and coming of Christ in glory and is not directly connected with moral behavior, faithfulness and true holiness on our part.
The return of the Lord Jesus to earth is not an event for curiosity and speculation – and if we do only that, we sin! The prophetic teacher who indulges in speculation, who only wants to satisfy the curiosity of his listeners without drawing their attention to the moral aspects, sins even in speaking!
Enough foolish things about the Second Coming of Christ have already been circulated by simply curious people, resulting in many believers paying no attention to the matter at all. But Peter exhorts us to wait for "the appearing of Christ."
Paul says the crown of righteousness is prepared for those who love His appearing. John speaks of his hope of seeing Jesus and says bluntly: "Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."
Are you ready for the appearance of Jesus Christ? Or are you among those who are merely curious about His coming?
AW Tozer (1897-1963)
From "Changed in His Image", CLV