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Watch for Christ’s Return
Question 1:
Whose voice can you recognize instantly?
THE POINT: When Christ returns, everyone will know it.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I have fond memories of summers growing up. I played outside most of the day with neighborhood friends. One place we lived was near a creek beside some woods. My friends and I would be gone for hours playing in that creek.
My mother had a recognizable southern accent. When it was time for dinner, you could hear all the neighborhood mothers out on their porches calling for their kids. No matter how far down the creek I was, I could always hear Mom’s strong, distinctive voice call my name. There was no mistaking her voice or her call to me.
One day Jesus is coming back, and the signs of His return will be clear and unmistakable. It will be obvious! While we will not be privy to any advance warning, Christ’s return will be a powerful, can’t-miss event.
I did not always want to come in from playing when my mother called, but when Jesus returns, I’ll gladly welcome that moment to “go home” and be with Him. In Matthew 24, Jesus told us what that day will be like.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Matthew 24:23-25
23 “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.”
Matthew gave us a great reminder that the true Messiah’s coming won’t be secret. His coming won’t be seen by only a select group; it will be visible to all. That’s why we should never take seriously someone who says, “ ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ ” Christ taught us to beware of all the claims about His identity and His whereabouts, no matter how compelling they may sound.
Most of us would extend a warning to anyone we see in danger, but we would especially warn those we love and care about. Christ cares deeply for us. We saw earlier that Christ cares so deeply for His children that He will shorten the period of tribulation for their sake (Matt. 24:22). Now we read that Christ’s care for His people is so deep that He warned them of the danger of being deceived by false religious peddlers. We should always hear the love of God in His warnings.
We should be careful not to automatically attribute all miraculous works to the Lord. It’s possible for something to be both miraculous and evil. This is nothing new. When Moses stood before Pharoah calling for the release of God’s people, Pharoah’s magicians mimicked many of the miracles Moses and Aaron performed (Ex. 7:10-12,20-22; 8:5-7). People would not be so easily deceived if Satan came as the cartoonish devil with horns and a pitchfork. Instead, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15).
Question 2:
What are some ways to guard against spiritual deception?
Jesus included one encouraging statement in this. The false messiahs and false prophets will not be able to pull off deceiving Christ’s followers. They will attempt “to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Satan has never been able to deceive true believers about the identity of their Lord.
Jesus said earlier in Matthew 24:13: “But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” And now we see that, while believers are not immune to the attacks of false messiahs, God will protect them from full-fledged apostasy. God’s elect can be tempted and tortured. They may even be put to death, but they will not fall for the deadly bait of deceivers. Peter told us in 1 Peter 1:5 that, “Through faith [you] are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Matthew 24:26-29
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ ”
Jesus continued to warn against any false teaching about the Messiah’s whereabouts. He was saying in essence, “Pay attention only to what I am teaching you now, not to anything else you will hear or see. Don’t listen, no matter how fascinating the message and signs may seem to be. Don’t chase after any of these rumors.”
So many tragedies would never have happened if people had taken seriously the truth of this verse. There would have been no Jonestown massacre, Branch Davidians, or Heaven’s Gate. These people died because they listened to Jim Jones, David Koresh, or Marshall Applewhite give their version of “ ‘There he is, out in the wilderness’ or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms.’ ” If someone tells you he knows the secret path to the kingdom, always refuse to give him a hearing.
The Messiah is not found in the places false teachers and cult leaders suggest. We don’t have to go somewhere; instead, He will be coming to us, returning in a way that will be obvious and memorable. Christ gave an unmistakable picture: “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” When you hear thunder or see lightning in the sky, you don’t usually wonder what it is. That’s what Jesus wanted to make clear. We won’t wonder what’s happening when He returns. There will be no mistaking it!
Jesus then added a seemingly out-of-place statement: “ ‘Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.’ ” Many of us have driven past roadkill, and we’ve seen the buzzards waiting for us to pass so they could resume their meal. It’s not clear exactly what Jesus meant by this illustration, but perhaps it’s simply that people will be drawn to see the return of Christ like vultures to a carcass.
Nature will call out the coming of Christ. “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” The return of Christ will be accompanied by supernatural manipulations of celestial bodies. These signs in the sky will be such that all people can see them and realize the end is at hand and Christ is returning. If only one of these signs were given, someone might try to explain it away as an eclipse or a meteor shower. But all of them occurring together can only be caused by the hand of God. Old Testament prophets previously had foreseen these signs in connection with God’s final judgment (Isa. 13:10; 24:23; Ezek. 32:7-8). These images contain an unspoken lesson for us: we must not wait until the earth disintegrates to follow Christ.
Question 3:
How can God’s creation help us share the good news?
Matthew 24:30-31
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Just as the disciples’ hearts must have trembled at Jesus’ description of suffering during this period, they also must have been thrilled as they listened to Christ describe the glory of His return. Jesus ended His descriptions of darkness to announce: “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.” Jesus had already mentioned several lesser signs that would precede His coming, but His own personal return will be the ultimate sign for humanity to behold.
Jesus used a reference from Daniel 7:13 to describe His return on the clouds: “And there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Clouds were used in the Old Testament as a picture of God’s movement, so Jesus’ declaration that He would be “coming on the clouds of heaven” affirms His divine nature. Whether these clouds are natural or supernatural, Jesus will utilize them to display His divine majesty.
Question 4:
How does Christ’s imminent return impact your life now?
Christ’s second coming will be marked “with power and great glory.” This highlights the drastic contrast between His first coming and second coming. Christ came with frail humiliation in the incarnation in Bethlehem. At that time, only a few were aware of the significance of this birth to an unknown couple in an obscure village. But when Jesus comes the second time, He will appear with all the power and glory that are rightfully His.
Jesus will mobilize a group of angels who will do the work of gathering believers to join Him in heaven. Christ refers to these messengers as “his angels,” another fact that shows us Christ is God. God’s angels are Jesus’ angels. We don’t know when exactly the trumpet will sound announcing the return of Christ, but when it comes, we’ll know it. And for those who know Christ, that trumpet blast will be a welcome sound. Jesus has come and we’re going home!
Question 5:
What do you find comforting or convicting about these verses?
PERSPECTIVE
Consider what you would do if you knew today that Jesus would return tomorrow. Write out a sample schedule. Then ask God to help you live like you really believe you are living in the last days.
My Schedule:
My Prayer:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
JOHN 10:27-28A
LIVE IT OUT
When Christ returns, everyone will know it. Choose one of the following applications:
Consider. Ask yourself the question with regularity, “If Christ returned today, would I be ready?” If the answer is no, ask God to show you the adjustments you need to make.
Worship. Worship the Lord for His power and glory. Christ will return with power and glory. Revelation 14:7 says, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come.” Take time now to honor His perfect character with the expectation of worshiping Him forever.
Share. Think of someone you know who needs to be reminded of Christ’s return. Maybe it’s a believer facing difficult times. Maybe it’s someone you’ve been praying for who’s considering the claims of Christ. When Paul talks about Christ’s return in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, he reminds us to, “encourage one another with these words.”
We all have someone whose voice we’d recognize from a distance and in a crowd. Jesus will make sure we all recognize Him when He returns. Let’s be ready and help others be ready too!
Teacher's Notes:
3. Waiting for Christ’s Return
THE POINT: When Christ returns, everyone will
know it.
Matthew 24:23-25
“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look,
here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs
and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive,
if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.”
Why are people sometimes drawn to individuals
who claim to be some type of messiah?
What are some ways to guard against spiritual
deception?
1. Guard against deception by false messiahs.
Watch out for religious charlatans who would
deceive you.
There is only one Christ, and He is Jesus.
Believers can be tricked into deception; stay
on guard.
Jesus’ own word confirms who He is as Christ;
you can trust what He says.
Matthew gave us a great reminder that the true
Messiah’s coming won’t be secret. His coming won’t be seen by only a select
group; it will be visible to all.
We should be careful not to automatically
attribute all miraculous works to the Lord. It’s possible for something to be
both miraculous and evil. This is nothing new. When Moses stood before Pharoah
calling for the release of God’s people, Pharoah’s magicians mimicked many of
the miracles Moses and Aaron performed (Ex. 7:10-12,20-22; 8:5-7).
“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of
light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants
of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15).
Jesus included one encouraging statement in
this. The false messiahs and false prophets will not be able to pull off
deceiving Christ’s followers. They will attempt “to deceive, if possible, even
the elect.” Satan has never been able to deceive true believers about the
identity of their Lord.
Jesus said earlier in Matthew 24:13: “But the
one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” And now we see that, while
believers are not immune to the attacks of false messiahs, God will protect
them from full-fledged apostasy. God’s elect can be tempted and tortured. They
may even be put to death, but they will not fall for the deadly bait of
deceivers. Peter told us in 1 Peter 1:5 that, “Through faith [you] are shielded
by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed
in the last time.”
Matthew 24:26-29
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in
the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not
believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the
west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass,
there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars
will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’”
According to these verses, how secretive or
visible will Jesus’ return be?
2. Creation itself will announce the return of
Christ.
Beware of those who claim to have secret
insight about the coming and the presence of Christ.
Christ’s return will not be missed by anyone;
it will be realized from one end of the earth to the other.
Christ will come when the conditions God has
established are right; not before.
The return of Christ will be obvious and clear;
there shall be no other sight like it.
So many tragedies would never have happened if
people had taken seriously the truth of this verse. There would have been no Jonestown massacre, Branch Davidians, or Heaven’s
Gate. These people died because they listened to
Jim Jones, David Koresh, or Marshall Applewhite give their version of “‘There
he is, out in the wilderness’ or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms.’” If someone
tells you he knows the secret path to the kingdom, always refuse to give him a
hearing.
Nature will call out the coming of Christ. “The
sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall
from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” The return of Christ
will be accompanied by supernatural manipulations of celestial bodies. These
signs in the sky will be such that all people can see them and realize the end
is at hand and Christ is returning. If only one of these signs were given,
someone might try to explain it away as an eclipse or a meteor shower. But all
of them occurring together can only be caused by the hand of God.
Matthew 24:30-31
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in
heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son
of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will
send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from
the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
What should we do while we wait for Christ to
return?
3. The return of Christ will be unmistakable and
public.
Jesus will come again; but don’t worry, you
won’t miss it!
Those who have rejected Jesus will see His
return as a day of grief and lamentation.
Those who have received Jesus as Lord shall be
gathered together with all who have believed in Him.
Live in anticipation of Christ’s coming,
knowing it will happen; avoid becoming enamored or encumbered with the signs
themselves.
Jesus used a reference from Daniel 7:13 to
describe His return on the clouds: “And there before me was one like a son of
man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Clouds were used in the Old Testament
as a picture of God’s movement, so Jesus’ declaration that He would be “coming
on the clouds of heaven” affirms His divine nature. Whether these clouds are
natural or supernatural, Jesus will utilize them to display His divine majesty.
How does Christ’s imminent return impact your
life now?
Christ’s second coming will be marked “with
power and great glory.” This highlights the drastic contrast between His first
coming and second coming. Christ came with frail humiliation in the incarnation
in Bethlehem. At that time, only a few were aware of the significance of this
birth to an unknown couple in an obscure village. But when Jesus comes the
second time, He will appear with all the power and glory that are rightfully
His.
Jesus will mobilize a group of angels who will
do the work of gathering believers to join Him in heaven. Christ refers to
these messengers as “his angels,” another fact that shows us Christ is God.
God’s angels are Jesus’ angels.
PERSPECTIVE
Consider what you would do if you knew today
that Jesus would return tomorrow. Write out a sample schedule. Then ask God to
help you live like you really believe you are living in the last days.
My Schedule today:
_______________________________________
My Prayer today:
__________________________________________
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and
they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
JOHN 10:27-28A
Conclusion:
We don’t know when exactly the trumpet will
sound announcing the return of Christ, but when it comes, we’ll know it. And
for those who know Christ, that trumpet blast will be a welcome sound. Jesus has
come and we’re going home!
Return of Christ – what should we be doing
until Jesus comes again?
The return of Christ will be the most
significant event in all of history. It will be spectacular and miraculous –
scene by every living human. He will light the eastern sky as He appears for
all to see. (Matthew 24:7) Jesus is coming again. No one knows the day or hour
of the return of Christ, but it is imminent. It could be today, next year, or
in a thousand years. So, that leaves us with a very important question, What to
do until the return of Christ?
It’s been said “we should live our lives as if
Jesus isn’t returning for thousands of years but be ready as if He were coming
today”. That’s not bad advice. However, the Bible gives us some specific
directions as to what we should be doing as believers.
The Bible always presents the return of Christ
as a great motivation to action, not as a reason to do nothing while waiting
for His return. I want to give you two major areas we should be actively
engaged in until the moment Jesus returns;
Be Faithful
1. Be Faithful. In Revelation 2:10 Jesus tell
us “Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life“ Being
faithful until Jesus returns has several applications.
First, it means to faithfully remain ready and
watching for Him. Luke 12:37 says “The servants who are ready and waiting for
his return will be rewarded. ” In Matthew 24:44 Jesus said, “you must be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” In
other words some could be be caught off guard – surprised and completely
unprepared.
We need to faithfully stay alert and always
mindful the Lord could return at any moment. Each one of us must personally
stay ready and watching. There are many distractions in the world that can
cause you to lose focus. “Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) Don’t
lose focus. Don’t be caught off guard. Remain faithful.
Second, we should faithfully continue growing
in the Lord. Philippians 1:6 gives us this encouraging word, “And I am certain
that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it
is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” God is faithful to
continue working in our lives.
We must faithfully surrender our will to His
will and allow Him to work in us. We are being transformed daily into His
image. (2Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:1) We should faithfully be living our
lives in a way that brings glory to God.
Peter warned about scoffers who would
continually ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” Even though it’s been
2,000 years since Jesus promised His return we must remain faithful until that
day. 2 Peter 3:14 in the Amplified Bible says this, “So, beloved, since you are
looking forward to these things (end time events), be diligent and make every
effort to be found by Him at His return spotless and blameless, in peace that
is, inwardly calm with a sense of spiritual well-being and confidence, having
lived a life of obedience to Him.”
As long as you are alive on this earth be
faithful to the Lord allowing Him to work in you, on you, and through you, so
you can live your life in way that honors the Lord and sets an example for
others. Remain faithful.
Be Fruitful
2. Be Fruitful. This means we should take
advantage of every opportunity to be a witness for Christ. We are to be “salt
and light” while we are here in this world. (Matthew 5:13-14)
Being fruitful means diligently serving the
Lord. We should be using our time, talent, and treasure wisely. Jesus put it
this way in the parable of the ten minas in Luke 19:13. He said we are “to
occupy” until He returns. Occupy means to be at work in life and in building
the kingdom of God.
We should be faithfully sharing the Gospel at
home and around the world. (Mark 16:15) We are to be fruitful by making
disciples. (Matthew 28:19) We should be living our lives every day; taking care
of our families, going to work, contributing to our communities, etc.
God has a work and ministry for each of us to
fulfill. We should give our best for His glory. We are not to just sit around
doing nothing. God wants us to be fruitful.
Our Blessed Hope
What are you to do until the return of Jesus?
Be faithful to the Lord with your calling and life always prepared for the
moment He returns and be fruitful using your life to make a difference.
Jesus will ‘never leave you or forsake you,
(Hebrews 13:5) He will be with you always to help you. (Matthew 28:20) That’s a
promise you can trust and take comfort in. His return is another precious
promise you can trust with all your heart. He said He would come get us and
that means He will. Until the moment He returns – Be faithful and fruitful always
ready….this is our BLESSED HOPE
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13
KJV)
