He Will Return, But When?

“Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose from the grave today, and is coming back tomorrow.” – Theodore Epp

What if I were to tell you with complete confidence and with good evidence that Jesus Christ was returning sometime this year? Of course we know that would be ridiculous of me and unbiblical to make such a statement (even though we know we are living in the last days), but say I had a real encounter with the Lord, and He told me to warn the people that He was returning sometime by the end of this year. Wow…What a thought right? That’s within a span of just a few months.

Hypothetically, if we were to know and believe that with certainty, how much would we adjust our lives? How quickly we would make changes to our character, priorities, schedules, and attitude. We would begin to focus in on all of our unsaved friends and family members, and our hearts would burn for their salvation. We would spend more time reading the Bible, and preparing ourselves with the knowledge of the things to come. That one sin issue that we have been holding on to would be dropped immediately. We would stop flirting with sin and playing around the boundaries that separate a holy life from a worldly one, and begin to live the way we know we ought to… Why?! Because we know once Christ does return, there will be no more second chances, no more grace for the sinner, and our destinies will be decided by the decisions we made before that very moment.

The reminder of this coming event brings a level of reverence and awakening. It causes us to check ourselves… “Am I ready?” I ask myself this question all the time. That question tends to awaken my spirit from its sleep, and startles it at the same time like an alarm clock. The reality is that the majority of us do not even consider the possibility of Christ returning today; we put it off like we do lottery tickets, because we figure the chances of winning are way too small and most likely will not happen.

You know, the chances of winning the lottery when you buy one is so small, but every time I do try it, I get this feeling like “’I’m going to win this!” It’s hilarious, because it’s how they get so many people hooked on it. Everyone goes home thinking they bought the winning ticket. The reason why I do, is because even though the chances are winning are very small… there is still a chance! The fact that it could happen, drives me every time (by the way, I am not a lottery addict or anything).

The chance of Christ returning today, out of millions of other days is surely small, but it could still be today. Today could be that 000.1%. And what if it was today, would you be prepared? Imagine out of all the days you drive on the road, the one day you get in car accident you weren’t wearing your seatbelt. Imagine, out of all the days you have your phone on you, and the one time you get an emergency phone call your phone is off. This is why the life of a Christian is a life of discipline, because it’s trying to live everyday as if Christ could come back, today!

Let’s look at three separate passages of scripture where Jesus is talking about His second coming…

“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:40-44).

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ “(Matthew 25:1-12).

“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night” (Luke 12:37-38).

“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready…” What does it look like for us to be ready?

Practical Ways to be Ready

1. Do not let your house be broken into (Matthew 24) – Don’t allow sin or Satan to invade your life. Keep your life set apart, holy unto God.
2. Stay on fire for God (Matthew 25) – Do not spiritually fall asleep to where you are not looking to the sky for His return. You know your fire is fading when you no longer spend personal time with God, studying The Word, going to church service, etc. Throw as much wood on your fire as possible.
3. Continue doing the work of the Lord (Luke 12) – When the Lord returns, you want to be caught doing His work; continue ministering and serving others. Be involved with your church and community.

Now we all understand that I don’t know when Christ is really coming back, but I think we can all agree (especially if you study Bible prophecy) that the second coming of Christ could happen any second now. In a blinking of an eye, we could be caught up in the air to meet Christ. Couldn’t we also take this message and apply it to our due date (death). We don’t know when we will breathe our last breath either. Live every day as if it was your last, and live that last day in honor of Jesus Christ.

Stephanie and I hope this message encourages you. This message should not cause you to fear, but rather rejoice in His soon return for you and me; our hope is in Him! If Christ were to come later tonight, would you be ready? If not, today is the day of salvation, and a perfect time to repent and get right with God, now that His grace and forgiving power is still at work.

God bless you, we love you, until next Wednesday… Blessings!

Steph y Ces