End times discussions shouldn’t be fraught with wild speculation and discord.
Jesus Wins: The Good News of the End Times
As Christians, we believe that Jesus will one day return to earth. The Bible is super clear about this:
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (ESV) — 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Hebrews 9:28 (ESV) — 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Matthew 24:44 (ESV) — 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
And I could continue to quote a dozen other direct references to the return of Jesus Christ. Additionally, the Christian church has always believed this as a central doctrine. The Apostles Creed from the first century demonstrates that Christians believed that Jesus would one day return so that we could enjoy “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting’. The Nicene from the 4th century states that Jesus “ascended into heaven from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead”
However, it’s not gone unnoticed over the years that many Christians fail to recognise the purpose of our belief. There is a reason for believing that Jesus is coming back and it’s not because the Bible says so. It’s because believing in this inspires hope and greater faithfulness right here in the 21 century. Contrary to some, the purpose of our end times belief is not so that we can find the most bizarre conspiracy theory or fantasy that involves lizard men, blood moons, illuminator and such like. For Christians, Jesus’ return to earth makes us live in the present as faithfully and joyfully and hope-filled as we can be. Jesus return is great news and it’s part of the gospel! Jesus is going to restore all things!
Leave a Reply