Excitedly Looks Forward To Jesus’ Return

Excitedly Looks Forward To Jesus’ Return

A HERO’S TALE

Think about your favorite day of the year. Is it your birthday? Christmas? The last day of school? Groundhog Day? (Ha, ha.)

Whatever it is, it’s a wonderful day that you look forward to all year. You’ve probably got goose bumps now just thinking about it.

Guess what? A day is coming that is infinitely greater than your favorite day: the return of Jesus!

Read how 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes it: “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”

Wow!

DECODING THE MESSAGE

There’s no future event that should excite us more than the return of Jesus. It will be a day like none other, with more cosmic fireworks than the biggest Fourth of July celebration you can imagine (see Matthew 24:27-31).

The Bible doesn’t provide every detail about Jesus’ return. But we do know this much: currently, Jesus is in heaven with God the Father, preparing an eternal home for all believers (see John 14:2-3). One day —and no one knows when (see Mark 13:32) —Jesus will return to earth for the final time. His mission will be

• to destroy Satan and all evil (see Revelation 20:1-10);
• to punish the wicked and reward the righteous (see Matthew 25:31-46); and
• to bring an end to this world (see 2 Peter 3:10) and begin his eternal Kingdom (see Revelation 21).

Jesus’ return will mark the beginning of eternity. Those who have trusted in Jesus will have the inexpressible joy of spending forever with God the Father and the risen Lord Jesus in heaven.

As the apostle John wrote in today’s verse, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

BATTLE PLAN

To learn more about Jesus’ second coming, check out the following passages:

• Matthew 24:23-51
• 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
• Philippians 3:20-21
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:3
• 2 Thessalonians 1:5–2:12
• 2 Peter 3:1-13
• Revelation 19:11-21