The Truth about Christ’s Return

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Good morning Chapel family. I want to congratulate everyone who was baptized today. May God bless you and give you strength as you continue to follow him.  

We are continuing our series teaching through the Doctrinal Statement of The Chapel, and today we come to the ninth item on our Statement, which is about the return of Christ—otherwise known as the Second Coming. 

Back in 1987, when I was in college, some guy I met at a wedding rehearsal handed me a book called 88 Reasons the Rapture will Happen in 1988. The author believed he had cracked the code of biblical prophecy, and he knew for sure it would happen that year. That book sold a lot of copies, which are now in landfills and on clearance racks in used bookstores. A few years later they said get ready: when the calendars turn to January 1, 2000--remember Y2K?—that will obviously be the end of the world as we know it, and Jesus has to return! And then in 2011, popular radio preacher Harold Camping predicted the rapture would happen on May 21; when nothing happened that day he said it would happen on October 21. And he was kind of quiet after that. And the list could go on. And that’s just in my lifetime! Ever since the first coming of Jesus, people have tried to predict the second coming, and so far they’re batting zero.  

And here’s the danger: because there have been so many boneheaded predictions like that, it’s tempting to just dismiss the whole thing altogether. But listen to what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:3— 3b …in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” That is such a good warning for us! Despite all the crazy people setting dates, don’t become a scoffer. Don’t be someone who mocks the idea of Jesus returning or who lives as if he’s not returning. Because here’s the truth: if you take Jesus seriously, there’s no question he’s coming back. And knowing that should have a huge influence on how we live.  

So here’s what our Doctrinal Statement says: We believe in the personal, imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the personal, imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Let’s break that down into three parts today.  

First, The Promise. When you read the New Testament, you can’t miss the fact that Jesus promised to return some day… 

Matthew 16:27—For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. 

Matthew 24:44—So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 

John 14:3—And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 

And the rest of the New Testament echoes that promise, all the way till the last chapter--in Revelation 22:12, Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon.”  

Now, some people have said, “Look—you can’t take that literally. What he meant was that after he left, his teachings and his love would return to us and influence the world.” But there’s no way he meant that. In fact, in Acts chapter 1, right after the resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven, two angels say to the disciples, “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.” In other words, just as Jesus physically rose from the grave and physically ascended into heaven, one day he will physically return. 

Which is why our doctrinal statement says “We believe in the personal…return of Christ.” The same Jesus who walked this earth for 33 years is going to come back and finish what he started. That’s the promise. So don’t be a scoffer.  

I was in Times Square with Norma Jean recently, and we saw this crazy-looking dude with a cardboard sign that said, “Repent! Jesus is coming soon!” And everyone was avoiding this guy. And I’ll be honest, my first instinct was embarrassment. My first instinct was to scoff! But as we walked by, I turned to Norma Jean and I said, “You know, the guy is right.” Because that’s what Jesus promised. Do you believe Jesus keeps his promises? 

Secondly, let’s talk about The Timing. And I want to talk about three things here. First of all, the specific timing. All those people I talked about earlier were trying to pinpoint the specific date of the return of Christ. So—does the Bible have anything to say about that? Oh yeah. 

We saw this one before—Matthew 24:44—So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 

Matthew 25:13--“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” 

Mark 13:32-33--32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. So even Jesus himself, who voluntarily gave up some of the privileges of deity when he came to earth, says, “I don’t even know when I’m coming back!” And if Jesus didn’t know it, we probably shouldn’t try to guess it.  

But you can be sure that someone’s going to try it again. And some people are going to believe it, and they’re going to quit their job and sell all their stuff and withdraw from society, and most likely they’re going to wind up really jaded. So don’t try to guess the specific time of Christ’s return. 

But there’s another issue around the timing of the Second Coming, and that is: how does it fit in with this major future event called “The Millennium”? In case your biblical prophecy is rusty, the concept of the Millennium comes from Revelation chapter 20, where John sees a future vision of Satan being bound for a thousand years, and during that thousand-year period, faithful believers are reigning on the earth. And the question is: how does the return of Jesus fit in with that?  

Three main views. First, postmillennialism. That’s the belief that Christians will be so effective in spreading the gospel, that the world will get better and better, and we will bring in the kingdom of God on earth. Peace will prevail! And after a thousand years of that, Jesus will come back and heaven will begin. So Jesus comes back “post”—after—that thousand year period. So that’s postmillennialism.  

Then there’s a view called amillennialism. The prefix “a” is Latin for “not.” In other words, there’s not going to be a literal thousand years where Jesus reigns on earth. They say this passage is symbolic of what Christ is doing right now through his church. And then some day Jesus will return and heaven will begin. That’s amillennialism. There is no literal Millennium.  

And then the third view is called premillennialism. That’s the view that this world is not getting better, but when Jesus returns it will get better really quick, because he’ll set up an earthly kingdom and personally reign for a thousand years, and then heaven begins after that. So Jesus returns “pre,” or before, the Millennium. So that’s premillennialism.  

Is everybody totally confused yet?  

Now: I personally take a premillennial view. I believe that in order for God’s kingdom to come on this earth, it’s going to require Jesus being here in person. So I believe Jesus will return to this earth and reign for 1,000 years; I believe during that time, God will fulfill the promises he made to Israel back in the Old Testament, and it will be a time of flourishing and peace unlike anything we’ve ever seen. And then the final judgment, and heaven starts after that. So I am premillennial. That’s my position.  

But here’s the thing: there are really committed, biblically-knowledgeable Christians who take a different view. And knowing that keeps me humble. If I find out one day that I was wrong on this, it’s not going to crush me. When you stand before Jesus someday, he’s not going to say, “Okay—here’s the big question: are you premillennial, amillennial, or postmillennial? I need an answer now.” That’s not going to be on the test. Isn’t that a relief? The important thing is: Jesus is coming back. 

Now, one more thing about timing. On our Doctrinal Statement, there’s one more word I haven’t said anything about yet. It says We believe in the personal, imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean to say Christ’s return is “imminent”? It means that it could happen any time.  

Some people take issue with that. They say, “No—it couldn’t be imminent. Because the Bible describes certain events that have to take place first—before Jesus comes back. And those events haven’t happened yet!” 

For example, Matthew 24:14-- And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 

Matthew 24:29--29 “Immediately after the distress of those days 

“‘the sun will be darkened, 
    and the moon will not give its light; 
the stars will fall from the sky, 
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 

30a “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.  

2 Thessalonians 2:1—1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 

So…Jesus won’t return until after the gospel is preached in all the world, and the sun and moon are darkened, and until this “man of lawlessness”—also known as Antichrist—shows up. And there are a few other things the Bible says will happen first. So people say, “Look—it’s obvious those things haven’t happened yet, so Jesus couldn’t return yet. His return really isn’t imminent.” And I respect people who feel that way, but I don’t agree with them. And here’s why: they might be correct when they say that all of those signs haven’t happened yet. But they might not be correct. Isn’t possible that those signs have been fulfilled in ways that we just don’t realize? Isn’t it possible that the gospel really has gone out to all nations—depending on how you define nations? And isn’t it possible that the sun and moon being darkened is talking about major eclipses? And isn’t it possible that the Antichrist is already here, and we just don’t realize it? See, if we’re humble we’ll admit we might not understand those signs properly—and therefore, Jesus actually could return at any time.  

But can I give you a stronger reason why I believe the return of Christ is imminent? Because Jesus said so. Mark 13:33—Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. And Jesus emphasized that over and over again: we should walk through life with the awareness that he could come back at any moment…which makes us live life on a whole different level. 

Which leads to our third and final point: Our Response. How should the knowledge of Christ’s imminent return affect how we live? Let me give you four words.  

First, Holiness. Listen to this—2 Peter 3:10--10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12a as you look forward to the day of God… Live holy and godly lives, because at a moment you don’t expect, you will be standing before your Maker. Now, next week we’re going to talk about final judgment. And thankfully, because of the gospel of Christ, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Amen? So we don’t have to fear being condemned by the judgment of God. But I have to tell you—from everything I read in the Bible—the idea of standing before Almighty God should fill us with reverence and awe like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. Just thinking about it should make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. We dare not take him lightly—and if we do, we’re just foolish. 

So we should make it our business to live holy lives. 

The first time I rented a car in Europe, I was driving through France and Belgium. And somehow I got it in my mind that I could drive as fast as I wanted. I saw the speed limit signs, but it was confusing to convert the kilometers into miles, and I knew there was no speed limit on the Autobahn in Germany, and I figured Europe just wasn’t uptight like we Americans are. So I drove as fast as I wanted to. And I remember thinking, “I don’t know why these other drivers are driving so slow! Don’t they know you can drive fast in Europe?” I went back home. Several months went by. And I got a letter in the mail—from the rental car company, on behalf of the French police. There was a picture of my driver’s license, and then multiple photos of the car I was driving, on different highways, and the rapid speeds I was driving on those highways. And it said I owed hundreds of dollars for speeding. See, because in France, they don’t pull you over—they just do it all by camera, and they take a picture of your license plate, and they send you a bill. So I thought I was getting away with it—I didn’t think anybody was watching! Turns out I wasn’t getting away with anything. I was ultimately held accountable for my foolish behavior.  

The Bible says, “Don’t be deceived; God cannot be mocked.” So if you think you’re getting away with some secret sin, and you think you’re the only one who knows, think again. A day is coming when everything in the dark will be brought into the light, and a wise person lives in light of that day. 

Second, we should live with, Faithfulness. Knowing that Jesus will return should make us faithful to what God has called us to do. Jesus told a parable about a manager who went away on a trip, and he gave his servants a job to do while he was gone. So this is Luke 12:43…43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46a The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 

You see the point? Because you don’t know when Jesus will return, you should get serious about your life now. You should get serious about your calling—however God has called you to serve him. You should get serious about knowing and developing your spiritual gifts. Because if you’re putting it off, and just living for yourself, and spending all your time playing video games and fantasy football and watching Netflix and working on your yard and not doing anything of eternal value, what if Jesus comes back tonight? What are you going to tell him? Live in such a way that if he returned today, he would find you faithfully doing what he’s called you to do.  

Third, knowing Jesus is coming back, we should live with Urgency. In other words, live with the awareness that this day might be your last—and therefore, this day is precious, and not to be wasted. Colossians 4, verse 5, says: Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. That Greek phrase literally says, “Redeem the time, or buy up the time.” Did you ever play Monopoly? I’ve noticed something about successful Monopoly players. When they land on properties, they buy them. Even if it’s some low end property—like a purple one or a light blue one—you know, Baltic Ave. or something—they buy it. You know why? Because they know that if they don’t, someone else will. And they don’t know what lies around the corner—they might be in jail; they might be settling for second prize in a beauty contest. So when they see an opportunity, they grab it. And then they build houses and hotels and crush you.  

Guys, we don’t know the day of Christ’s return. So today is the day to buy up the time. To grab the opportunities in the way you act and speak toward outsider—that means people who don’t know Christ--about the good news of the gospel. If you don’t, believe me: someone else will grab that opportunity, and fill their ears with all kinds of false gospels and lies. 

I remember flying to Bogota, Colombia on a mission trip with one of our staff members, John Diaz. And on both flights, there and back, I had the aisle seat, John was in the middle, and there was another person sitting by the window. And I’m normally not a big talker on planes; I love to get a lot of reading done on planes. And both times, when that window seat person sat down, I don’t want to embarrass John, but he immediately engaged that person in conversation. One of the window seat people was a 53-year-old divorcee, who was going to visit his daughter; one of them was a 30-year-old woman who was a scientist, coming home from business. And in both cases, the conversation went from small talk to, you know, “What are you guys doing in Colombia,” which opened the door for very meaningful spiritual conversation. And in both cases, the door was open—and we wound up having multi-hour conversations about deep, spiritual matters. Here’s what I learned from John: make the most of every opportunity. This could be a God-ordained moment for that person. What a privilege, to walk through that open door, and be part of that! 

Guys, Jesus is coming back! So live with a sense of urgency when it comes to the most important message in the world. 

And then one more thing. Because Jesus is coming back, we should live with Longing. Just like a kid longs for Christmas—can’t wait for it to get here—we should long for the return of our Savior, Jesus. 2 Timothy 4:8 says 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. Philippians 3:20 says But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the second to last verse in the whole Bible—Revelation 22:20, says He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

When I got serious about my faith in college, I started reading the Bible a lot, and I saw this encouragement to long for the return of Christ. And I remember saying to my friends, “I definitely want Jesus to return. But not until I get married. And go on my honeymoon. And have my first child. Then he can come back.” And I was sort of joking, but I was sort of being honest. Because I was so looking forward to those things in my life, and my heart wasn’t fully convinced that being with Jesus would be, as Paul once said, “better by far.” So I wanted him to come back—just not yet. You know what I’ve learned since then? People who are suffering for their faith long for the return of Jesus. People who are suffering chronic illness long for the return of Christ. People who live in poverty and injustice long for the return of Christ. And people who walk closely in fellowship with Jesus, long for his return. Wayne Grudem said, “…the degree to which we actually long for Christ’s return is a measure of the spiritual condition of our lives...” 

Guys, Jesus is coming back. Let that reality compel you to live with holiness, and faithfulness, and urgency, and longing.  

In the first Iraq war, there was an Air Force Pilot named Robby Robins. After he flew his 300th mission, to his surprise, he was given permission to pull his crew together and fly home. His service was complete. So they flew across the Atlantic Ocean to Massachusetts, and then they had a long drive to western Pennsylvania. They drove all night, and finally his buddies dropped him off at his driveway just after sunrise. And stretching across his garage, there was a big banner that said, “Welcome Home Dad!” 

And he was confused. How did they know? He hadn’t called; he was intending to make this a surprise. Even the crew themselves weren’t expecting to leave so quickly. So he walked into the house, and the kids came screaming down the hall, half dressed for school—“Daddy!” His wife, Susan came running down the hall, and he said she looked amazing—her hair was fixed, makeup on, beautiful yellow dress.  

And as he embraced his wife, he said, “How did you know?” And through tears of joy, she said, “I didn’t. But when we realized the war was over, we knew you’d be home one of these days. And we knew you would try to surprise us. So we’ve been ready every day.”