Look Up!

The Blessed Hope

Many of us have either found ourselves being asked if we believed that we are in the last days or we have been wondering. This is especially true as Israel has been attacked and now the entire region has become a powder keg. Could this be the timing for the Return of Christ?

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The term ‘blessed hope’ has been the religious term for several events and activities that will take place in the future. The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our “blessed hope”, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years. Let me show you a popular drawing.

Currently we are in the ‘Church Age’ awaiting the next event in the Biblical timeline, the rapture of the Church, followed by a 7-year period called the ‘tribulation’, and then the Second Coming of Christ.

We are living in exceptional times! We, like the disciples, are wondering when the time will be right for our rapture, the tribulation, and the Return of Christ.

Look Up!

All the synoptic Gospels record the conversation between Jesus and His disciples about His return. Today, we are just as interested as the disciples were in the final days of Jesus.

Luke 21:8–28 NIV

He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life. “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Many have tried to break the code to understand the timing. I think this is where we make a mistake. Instead, we need to focus on the certainty and the blessedness of Christ’s return.

We Have Good Reason for “Hope”

He Will Certainly Return

Christians are justified in their belief that Jesus would come again because He told us so and the OT prophets foretold it. In the passage from Matthew that we just read, Jesus tells the disciples that He would be coming back “in a cloud with power and great glory”. The purpose of the entire book of Revelation is to show believers “things which must shortly take place”.

Revelation 1:1 NIV

The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

You may remember the verse from Acts that talks about Jesus going into Heaven, the angels asked the disciples, “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 NIV).

I came across an article from 1970 published in the New York Times written by Rev. Billy Graham. I found his perspective interesting and accurate, although written 53 years ago:

Millions of Americans are caught up in a desperate attempt to know the future. The phenomenal rise in the sale of crystal balls, Ouija boards and Vien nese fortune‐telling tarot cards is only a part of the new “groping” into the future.

A couple of years ago I was having breakfast with Walter Reuther. Reuther said, “Science could bring paradise to earth by the year 2000.” I replied, “There is one flaw. No one has fed into the computers the facts about man's moral weakness, his tendency toward hate, lust, greed that produce racism, crime, war and a thousand other evils.”

The predictions of future events occupy approximately one quarter of all the Bible: The teaching of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is dealt with in some 1,800 passages in the Bible—over 318 of these being in the New Testament.

Dr. Graham’s understanding is a biblical understanding. Science did not make the world a paradise by the year 2000. Instead, the prophecies of Jesus and the OT prophets are remarkably on target. Listen to this from Daniel:

Daniel 7:13–14 NIV

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Our Lord told us that He would return, and the prophets told us he would Return. ¼ of the Bible references “the day of the Lord” or the “last days”, a period of time when dramatic events will take place.

We Cannot Possibly Know When

Considering the events that are taking place in Israel, what seems to be a coalition between Iran/Russia/China/and terrorist organizations, we are even more concerned. I saw a news article yesterday that interested my – there is an apparent surge in antisemitism on TikTok that is originating in China. Why? A sign of the times.

Jesus gave us signs to consider but cautioned about setting specific times:

1 Thessalonians 5:1–2 NIV

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.

Mark 13:32–37 NIV

“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! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

It seems the ‘state of readiness’ of the Christian is to be always ready, never putting a time on the calendar. We are called to “look up”…. To “Watch”.

Are You Looking Up?

As strange as it may seem, many are reluctant to stay “ready” for the return of Christ because of an overemphasis on the soonness rather than the certainty and blessedness of Christ’s return. Let me explain. The world wars would have certainly been indicators of the soonness of Christ’s return. The reconsolidation of Israel in 1948 was an indicator. These things and more prompted men like Hal Lindsey and Edgar Whisenant to determine that the rapture would take place in 1988. And then the calendar turned to 1989. Whisenant adjusted his theory to ’89. Then the end of the century. Because of those who have emphasized the soonness rather than the certainty, many have become disinterested.

Instead, we need to focus on the certainty. Today, tomorrow, or the next century…He is coming. Have your life in order! I like what one pastor in Ontario wrote:

Don’t concern yourself with fantasies, date-setting, or naming the Antichrist. Stick to the basics. Perhaps the greatest cause for the fading emphasis on Christ’s return is the tendency for Christians to settle into a lifestyle centered in this present world. We hate to admit this, but the average Christian is more concerned with living a comfortable life now than he is in preparing for eternity.

We have come to love life here on planet Earth so much that we seem reluctant to leave it. It is difficult to see be­yond our overstocked freezers and luxury cars to a new heaven and a new earth. We have bought too deeply into this world’s value system.

Too few of us seem to consider how utterly irrelevant all earthly possessions and pleasures will be when Christ sud­denly returns. If we loved Christ more, we would love His appearing and long for it, pray for it, prepare for it.

The greatest question for each of us is “Am I ready if He came today?” And then, tomorrow, ask yourself the question again, “Am I ready to meet Christ today?” Each new day brings the same question…

We Must Be Ready!

How do we stay ready? Here are some suggestions:

We are to be constantly engaged in witness that emphasizes the time of His return is near.

We are to be on guard against the increasing number of deceivers and deceptions characteristic of the end-time.

We are to be awake, sober, and alert.

We are to be ready, prepared.

We are to be wise.

We are to be holy in conduct and thought.

We are to be living servant lives filled with the fruit of good deeds.

We are to be earnestly and expectantly desiring His appearing.

But the greatest preparation that can be done is to make Jesus a permanent part of your life by inviting His Spirit into your heart. It is certain that He is coming! Look up!

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 NIV

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.