How did we get here?
Have you ever thought about the return of Jesus and found yourself wondering
will He ever come?
were all the promises about His second coming symbolic?
could it be that Jesus did all of His conquering in the form of overcoming sin, death, and the grave?
perhaps Jesus has already returned by living in us.
maybe Jesus will come secretly in the night like a thief, and no one will even know what happened
If you have been confused about His return, you are not alone.
The early Church was confused about Jesus’ return
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter…. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2a
This is a solemn warning by the apostle Paul. It was written to the church he had recently started. This church was misinterpreting what Paul taught them regarding the return of Jesus Christ.
Is it possible that subsequent generations, including our own, have done the same thing?
You see, before Christ’s miraculous birth, there had been prophecies going back more than a thousand years which spoke of a time when God would send a Messiah to deliver His people and reign on the earth victoriously. But instead of that powerful Messiah the Jewish people were watching for, in Jesus they received a humble servant Who died shamefully on a cross. They misinterpreted the prophecies.
Even Jesus’ closest disciples were confused about His real purpose during the entire 3 1/2 years that He walked in the flesh with them. They misinterpreted Jesus’ teachings.
Time plus cultural and political change equals confusion, doubt, and false expectations
Think about all the change that has occurred since Jesus ascended to heaven 2,000 years ago. With these changes, and the passage of time, the return of the Lord has taken a back seat to other priorities like developing and interpreting theology, reformation, politics, wars, epidemics, famines, and disasters. Time plus cultural and political change have caused us to misinterpret the Scriptures that talk about the end-times.
Why must we re-examine our beliefs as Christians now?
Many believers seem to have fallen prey to the thinking: “Even Jesus’ own disciples thought that He would return in their lifetimes. Why should we expect to be better informed than they were?”
There are specific signs which Jesus points to that must occur before He returns, and most of these signs have either already occurred or are in place for them to occur at any time.
Israel has been restored as a nation, and Jerusalem is its capital.
The internet has interconnected the entire world in one world system, allowing governmental powers to monitor all inhabitants of the earth, including people’s finances.
The Gospel is being preached ‘to the ends of the earth,’ just as Jesus prophesied (Matt. 24:14).
The growing prayer movement is changing the Church from the inside, so that it will be the ‘house of prayer for all nations’ that Jesus prophesied (Matt. 21:13), ushering in His return.
What remains is the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem (for which there are currently plans in place, awaiting the appropriate time), and the declaration there by the man of destruction that he is the Messiah.
Today’s Christian expectation
So what are you expecting? What is your church or denomination expecting? Are you believing the great deception that we will all fly away before the time of tribulation? Or worse, have you accepted the teaching that Jesus is taking over society now?
I encourage you, search the Word of God, and find the truth of what Jesus, Paul, and the disciples said about the end-times. Do not be caught unaware and unprepared.
For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be equaled again. Matthew 24:21
(This article has been condensed from Tom Grossman Sr.’s book Reign of Fire, Chapter 2. Get your copy of this 5-star end-time primer on Amazon!)
