Friday, December 7, 2018

December 7 Thought for the day....when will Jesus return?


If you have heard it at all. I will criticize very severely those who say, "This is happening in the world, or the planets are doing this, that is a sure sign of Jesus return!" It is all bogus, jargon either as a well-meaning person who doesn't really understand the Word, or someone looking to make a buck. What bothers me is no one holds them accountable! People keep buying their books. There is one book that explains the signs of Jesus' return; it is the Bible. Paul writes about it in his second letter to the Thessalonians....

"Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come" 2 Thessalonians 2: 1,2

Jesus told us that there would be signs in the heavens and on the earth but not to worry about them but to look for "....this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."  We are not there yet, but with today's technology, it could happen fairly quickly, but then again, many still do not have the technology available to them. However, the Lord is on the move.

Paul is saying here that there is another sign of the Lord's return that will occur within the church. The "gathering together" Paul is talking about is the end of the age when Jesus returns to gather His bride to himself. He is speaking very clearly about the last days. Yes, he does give us a sign. Are you ready for it?

The sign Paul gives us is in the phrase "the coming of our Lord." The Greek word Paul uses there gives us an indication of what will happen just before Jesus returns. The word he uses for "coming" is talking about a manifest presence of the Lord. Paul is saying just before Jesus returns as the church is meeting, worshiping, and living their lives, we will sense and feel a very tangible presence of the Lord. The idea behind his words is there will be an ever-increasing presence of Jesus in the church before. It is as if he is already with us in a very real way, His return will be a very natural next step as the church is already prepared.

I think that is pretty exciting. We will know when Jesus is coming because we will already be living in a very real sense of His presence. I'm looking forward to that, how about you?

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