Does This Mean Jesus is Coming?
Does This Mean Jesus is Coming?
Written by Pastor Brian Harrell
(click to listen to Audio Blog)
- Russia invades Ukraine and people say, “is this a sign that Jesus is coming back soon?”
- Oil prices skyrocket, “this must be a sign that Jesus is coming, right?”
- A Democrat gets elected as president, “correct me if I am wrong but this has to be a sign that Jesus is coming.”
- A Republican gets elected, “this is the beginning of His return, isn’t it?”
- A pandemic hits, “surely this is a sign that Jesus is on the way, don’t you think?”
- Gay marriage, abortion, vaccine cards, microchips, and the empty cookie shelf at Walmart all prompt the question, “don’t these events point to the return of Jesus?”
Not really.
Can He or can’t He?
During my lifetime there has been a fascination with the return of Jesus. During my teenage years preachers were absolutely convinced, based on sketchy Bible interpretation, that it would happen within 40 years of 1948. It didn’t. World events became signs of the end times except they weren’t. There were all kinds of wild predictions about the mark of the beast, the meaning of 666 and the one world government that never panned out. There was even a book called 88 Reasons Why Jesus is Coming Back in 1988 that was revised to 89 Reasons Why Jesus is Coming Back in 1989 and then discontinued in 1990.
Let’s not forget about that other group that tells us that Jesus can’t come back right now because certain biblical prophecies haven’t been fulfilled.
The remnants of this interest in the end times still remains. Even now, at every global event, people will ask, “do you think this is a sign that Jesus is coming back soon?”
Probably not.
Why?
Listen to the words of Jesus himself; “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come…37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Mark 13:32
That is straight to the point – “No one knows.” Not even Jesus knew. No one knows, not the angels, not the TV preacher, not the guy on the radio or the Sunday school teacher who read the book from the TV preacher!
Is the coming of Jesus right around the corner? We don’t know. I hope so. I think all followers of Jesus anticipate the day that he will come and straighten out the mess that this world is in. We look forward to that day. But, until that day, we are told to stay awake, to stay on guard, to not get lazy, to not fall away and to keep doing the work of God. In other words, be ready for that day. Don’t let that day catch you by surprise. Don’t let that day catch you full of regrets. Just be ready.
And when that day comes, rejoice!
Lets see what GOD can do!