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“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand” (Ps. 37:23-24).
Stella
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When will Jesus Return?
Last week we looked at how, throughout NT Scripture, there is the teaching that Jesus is coming again. When He comes, unbelievers will be judged, and believers will be rewarded. The great question that believers have wrestled with through the ages is “WHEN?” This is a question we cannot answer, and as we know, even Jesus taught that during His earthly ministry the Father had not revealed this to Him,
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert and pray! You do not know when that time will come.
Mark 13:32-33
Scriptures retain a fine tension on this matter with many Scripture passages exhorting us to be ready for Christ will come at a time we do not expect, like the thief in the night, e.g.
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.
Matt. 24:42-44
Now, brothers and sisters, 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.
1 Thess. 5:1-2
“Precisely because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments.”
C.S. Lewis.
However, there are also other passages of Scripture that teach that certain events, signs, must take place before Jesus returns, e.g.
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.
Matt 24:14
We will look more into this next week.
Quote of the week
“…what the situation will be like in the world before the Lord returns, namely, Christ will be despised, and the preachers of the Gospel will be regarded as fools … Such are the conditions prior to Judgment Day. We need to learn from this and not fret when we see these things happening, but say: Christ predicted beforehand that the world would become so savage, coarse, greedy … Well then! That’s the way it is, and it is even going to get worse.”
Martin Luther
Verse of the week
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Let’s Pray
Lord, You teach us that during the most troublesome and harrowing times, we should not fear, worry, or be anxious but look to You and trust in You completely. Therefore, Heavenly Father, by the power of Your Holy Spirit and Your all sufficient grace, strengthen Your people at these times, that the light of Your glory continues to shine through Your Church in these last days. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ the Son whom You love, and who loves us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice for our sins, Amen.