When Will Jesus Return?
I’msorry that today’s post is going to be so long, but I couldn’t find a goodplace to cut it off.
Hereis the scene. Jesus had arrived triumphantly in Jerusalem and the next day Hehad gone to the Temple. In anger, He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and merchants (remember last Sunday’s post?).
Theday after that He told many parables to anyone and everyone who would listen.He warned His audience about a lot of things and criticized the church leaders.
Finally,when He was alone with His disciples, He told them what to look for in the future.Our future.
The 24th chapter of the bookof Matthew, verses 1 through 44, from the New International Version.
As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds,his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. But heresponded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will becompletely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives.His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all thishappen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone misleadyou, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They willdeceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic.Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nationwill go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will befamines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only thefirst of the birth pains, with more to come.
“Then you will be arrested,persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are myfollowers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Andmany false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will berampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one whoendures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will bepreached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and thenthe end will come.
“The day is coming when you will seewhat Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causesdesecration standing in the Holy Place. Then those in Judea must flee to thehills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house topack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. Howterrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. Andpray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For there willbe greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never beso great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not asingle person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’schosen ones.
“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here isthe Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and falseprophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, ifpossible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead oftime.
“So if someone tells you, ‘Look, theMessiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he ishiding here,’ don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east andshines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as thegathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicatethat the end is near.
“Immediately after the anguish of thosedays, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars willfall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
And then at last, the sign that theSon of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deepmourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Mancoming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send outhis angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosenones from all over the world —from thefarthest ends of the earth and heaven.
“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree.When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer isnear. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his returnis very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will notpass from the scene until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my wordswill never disappear.
“However, no one knows the day or hourwhen these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Sonhimself. Only the Father knows.
“When the Son of Man returns, it willbe like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people wereenjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah enteredhis boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood cameand swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
“Two men will be working together in thefield; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour atthe mill; one will be taken, the other left.
“So you, too, must keep watch! For youdon’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knewexactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his houseto be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man willcome when least expected.”
(The picture is of the church and convent ofSan Francisco in Lima, Peru, when I was there in 2009.)
