In Matthew 24, Jesus strongly encourages His followers to be aware of His returning to this Earth; that is His second coming.
42 “Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
There will be signs, precursors of His coming, Jesus describes metaphorically as labor pains, as they will not be pleasant. While the signs will be real and visible to all, no one knows the day or hour that his return will take place. Even Jesus, in His human nature, did not know the moment of His return. Run from anyone who claims to have special knowledge of the day and hour.
Other than the signs Jesus predicts, on-going life just prior to His return will seem very normal, just like the day of the flood in Noah’s time. People will be working their normal jobs, getting married, living a typical day in the life, when suddenly, Jesus will appear and all eyes will see Him. Jesus’ key emphasis is not so much on the timing but on faithfulness, watchfulness, stewardship, expectancy, and preparedness. Jesus doesn’t emphasize so much the wickedness in the world as in Noah’s day, but the emphasis is on preoccupation of the mundane matters of everyday life; people are not paying attention to the signs of the time. Judgement will fall suddenly.
The apostle Paul, in Romans 13 gives a similar warning and instruction as the day approaches.
11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for
now [a]salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed.”
Paul encourages us, as we live our daily lives doing what we’re called to do, we must not be so caught up in worldly activities, or building our own earthly legacy, that we fail to remember our eternal call to salvation and glorification and prepare for our Lord’s return. That day is closer when you’re reading this than it was the day I was writing it! His coming is real, physical and will happen just as the Bible prophesizes and describes its occurrence. There will be an actual moment in time when every eye will see Him. We cannot be walking in sin and ignoring our preparedness as Paul further warns.
12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore, let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of
darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let’s [b]behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
Paul warns us about spiritual lethargy and unresponsiveness to the things of God. The Bible frequently uses the return of Jesus to motivate holy living. This very scripture was used by the Holy Spirit to turn St. Augustine’s life around, in the 4th century. Many consider St. Augustine to be the greatest theologian in the post apostolic era. May this Word also awaken us, that we would be prepared for His return. It’s going to happen, exactly like He said it would. Let’s not be caught off guard!!
Mark Packer