Throughout Christian church history many people have set dates for the Return of Christ and all have been proved wrong. In the late 1980's another date setter published a book with a title something like ‘88 Reasons the Lord Will Return in 1988.’ This book sold well; however, his next book ‘89 Reasons the Lord Will Return in 1989' did not sell as well. At best, efforts at date setting the Lord’s Return are foolishness; at worst, it hurts the credibility of Christian witness and truth.
Jesus clearly spoke against date setting: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matt 24:36" We cannot determine the time that Jesus will Return. While all true Christians hunger for the soon Return of Christ, we must have our theological feet standing on the solid ground of Biblical truth. The following are Biblical descriptions of the Second Coming.
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The Lord Jesus’ Return will be personal. "Men of Galilee," they said, "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 1:11" Jesus who was humbly born in a manger, who talked with temple leaders as a boy, who perform countless miracles, who died on the cross for our sin, who was buried and rose on third day, this same Jesus will one day personally return to Earth in the same way he was seen by his disciples go into heaven.
The Lord Jesus’s Return will also be physical and visible. "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Matt 24:30" This is the ultimate cosmic change in our world when Jesus returns to visibly and physically reign.
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We need to remember that the Bible says that the Lord Jesus will return unexpectedly.
"Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. I Thes 5:1-3" These clear descriptions should discourage us from needless speculation while encouraging us in our Great Expectations for the Lord’s Return.
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