Being Ready for Christ’s Return

Introduction

We just got done celebrating the first coming of Jesus. . . as we begin this new year, I think it is fitting that we now focus on the second coming of Jesus and discuss how we can be ready for his return.

Why Christ’s Return is Essential

Until Jesus returns, Christians continue to live in a world marred by sin, with daily temptations to break God's law.

We should take great hope in Jesus' return because it fills us with confidence that God's promise of salvation outshines all of our expectations.

What all Christians Believe will occur before Christ Returns

Based on Matthew 24:1-35, we can sketch out some events and things that will clearly take place before Jesus comes again.

First, Jesus said that there would be many false Christs who appear before he returns and they will seek to deceive all people.

Matthew 24:4–5 ESV

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.

Second, Jesus says there will be wars, famines, and earthquakes that will occur.

Matthew 24:6–8 ESV

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Third, Jesus says that a great tribulation will occur.

Matthew 24:9–13 ESV

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Fourth, Jesus says the gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed to all nations.

Matthew 24:14 ESV

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So to summarize, before Jesus returns, false Christs will seek to deceive others, there will be wars, earthquakes, and famines throughout the earth, a great tribulation of persecution will occur, and the gospel of the Kingdom of God will be proclaimed to all nations.

Jesus says that just as we can observe the figs from a fig tree beginning to bloom, when we see these signs taking place, we know the end is near.

Although not all of these events have fully taken place, we could say that all of them, have in some sense, partially taken place.

Regardless. . . Jesus says later in Matthew 24:36-50 that no one knows the day or the hour that the Son of Man will return. Therefore, we must be ready at all times for Jesus to come back. . . we will come back to this point later.

What all Christians Believe will occur when Christ Returns

Historically, regardless of one’s views of the end times, the church has believed and affirmed these four things about Christ’s return.

Visibility

When Jesus returns, all people will see him.

He will return just as he ascended.

Acts 1:11 ESV

and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Judgment

When Jesus returns, he will judge all people in righteousness.

Those who have trusted in Jesus will enter into eternal life.

Those who have sinned against God and rejected Christ will suffer eternal death in hell.

Salvation

Those who trust in Jesus will be fully glorified and their bodies will be transformed into physical glorified bodies to enjoy in the new heavens and new earth.

Kingdom

God will restore in creation what was corrupted by sin and make all things new. He will create a new heavens and a new earth and we will dwell with Jesus in his eternal kingdom with physical glorified bodies for all eternity.

See Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21.

Making Sense of the Different Views

All of the different views originate from someone’s understanding of the millennium, which is described in Revelation 20:1-6.

Other discussions surrounding the millennium are the rapture, the duration of the tribulation, the role of Israel, and the physical land of Israel.

Studying what will occur at Christ’s return is labeled “eschatology” which comes from two Greek words, “eschaton” which means “end times” and “ology” which means the study of something.

Before briefly summarizing the four major views that the Church has held since the time of Christ, it is important that we know three things:

First, views on the end times are third tier issues.

Second, views on the end times should not dominate your time and attention. . . rather, the things we listed in the previous section of Matthew 24 and what the church has agreed upon should.

Third, you should still study the Bible and decide which view is most faithful to the Scriptures.

Don’t have a “panmillenniast” view. . . “I believe it will all pan out in the end.”

Even though it is a tertiary doctrine, eschatology is important and does affect the way we do ministry and live our lives on earth.

Revelation 20:1–6 ESV

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

Four Major Views

Dispensational Premillennialism

Church is raptured before the tribulation, Jesus returns after the tribulation to reign 1000 years on earth, then resurrection, final judgment and then eternal state.

This is the view that the Left Behind series teaches.

Historic Premillennialism

Millennium comes after the tribulation, no "rapture," then 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth, then the resurrection and final judgment and eternal state.

Amillennialism

We are living in the millennium right now, it started at Pentecost, not literal 1000 years but figurative. Millennium and tribulation are co-mingled together, Christ will return, the resurrection will occur, final judgment and then the eternal state.

Post Millennialism

Tribulation has already taken place and the church is ushering in the new millennium through the spread of the gospel.

When the nations have been evangelized and the influence of the gospel has reached its peak, Jesus will return, the resurrection will occur, then the final judgment and eternal state.

I will lay my cards on the table and say that I would lean towards either a historic premillennialist or Amillennialist view.

If you want to know why, you can ask me later.

But. . . once more, I want to circle back to the main thing we need to focus on as we think about the return of Jesus. . . and that is being ready for his return.

Jesus himself actually spent more time warning the disciples to be ready for his second coming rather than discussing all the details of how his return would take place.

Therefore, this should be our main focus as we think about the second advent of Christ.

Be Ready for Christ’s Return

Turn to Matthew 24:36 with me. I want us to read what Jesus says we should do regarding his return.

Matthew 24:36–42 ESV

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Matthew 24:43–44 ESV

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

In verses 42 and 44, Jesus says that we must “stay awake” and “be ready” for his return. . . for we do not know when he will come again.

“staying awake” communicates living faithfully.

It means to walk in the light and not in the darkness. . . to be children of the day instead of children of the night.

Romans 13:11–14 ESV

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

“Being ready” for his return means being prepared to welcome him as a servant prepares the master’s house for his return.

This means making Christ Lord of your life so that you can welcome him when he comes again as Lord of the universe.

To emphasize these truths, Jesus then tells three parables.

In Matthew 24:45-51, he tells a story contrasting the faithful servant and the unfaithful servant.

The difference between the two was one servant took care of his master’s possessions and other servants. . . while the other squandered them and abused his servants.

The righteous servant never stopped serving his master and making sure his house was ready because he knew he could return at any moment.

The unrighteous servant thought his master would not return for a while, so he became lazy and selfish and indulged in worldly pleasures and did not keep his house in order.

The righteous servant was rewarded and placed over all of the master’s possessions, while the wicked servant was cut into pieces and placed in outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Essentially, one servant stayed awake and was ready for his master’s return, while the other was not.

The other two parables in Matthew 25 of the ten virgins and the talents communicate a similar truth:

Those that are ready for Christ’s return and steward his possessions wisely will enter the kingdom of God. . . but those who fall asleep and who squander his possessions will not enter the Kingdom of God.

Application

In light of these parables and commands from Jesus, I think there are two ways we must apply his teachings on his return to our lives.

First, we ourselves must be ready for Christ’s return.

Have you made Christ Lord of your heart and life?

Can this be seen in the way you live your life?

Are you pursuing holiness in all that you do?

J.C. Ryle said that “where there is no holy living. . . there is no Holy Spirit.”

I want to pause for a second and give each of you an opportunity to search your heart and consider whether or not you have truly trusted in Jesus for your salvation. . .

Second, we must make sure others we love and know are ready for Christ’s return.

We must warn our loved ones and those that we meet of the wrath that is coming and call them to repent and turn from their sin and trust in Jesus before it is too late.

If we truly believe Jesus is returning and we truly believe that if someone does not trust in Jesus they will spend eternity suffering in hell. . . then why are we not living like we believe it??

Example of your friend fixing to get hit by a bus.

Let these truths burden your heart to boldly proclaim the gospel to your loved ones so they can be ready for Christ’s return.

Let these truths saturate your soul and lead you to constantly intercede for your lost friends and family members. . . pleading with the Lord to save them.

The song, Joy to the World, speaks of Jesus’ second coming. . . and in the first verse it says, “let every heart prepare him room.”

Don’t leave here tonight without having your heart transformed and ruled by the coming King. . . and let the truth of his return drive you to live expectantly in your words, actions, thoughts, and prayers. . . so that when he comes again. . . you can receive him as your king and not your judge.