Just Like Lightning

Just like Lightning

Read: Matthew 24:1-35

“As lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Matthew 24:27

“The early Christians were looking not for a cleft in the ground called a grave, but for a cleavage in the sky called Glory.”

—Alexander Maclaren

IN WORD The kingdom of God came in the person of Jesus, and He came like a seed planted in the ground (Matthew 13:31-32). A few noticed the tilling of the soil and the sowing of the seed, but many had no idea what was going on for years, until the stalk appeared and branches grew. Today, the legitimacy of the kingdom may be questioned by unbelievers, but its presence is not. The religion of Jesus is by no means obscure.

Jesus will not come again as He did the first time. There will be no birth in an obscure Judean stable. He will not live among us unrecognized even by His own brothers. He will not seek those who will consider the evidence and decide whether they will believe in Him. He will come for those who have already settled that question. His return will not be a process, it will be an instant.

Not only will it be sudden, it will be visible. Highly visible. Some rapidly growing cults assert that He has already come in the form of their particular founder. But if He did, He was terribly mistaken about the nature of His return. And we know, of course, that He who was right about so many things was never terribly mistaken about anything. When He comes, it will be sudden, and it will be clear to everyone.

IN DEED Many Christians wonder not only when Jesus’ second coming will be—which we cannot know—but also what it will look like. Some may wonder if, in fact, He has already come. Will we recognize Him? Will He visit our neighborhood, our state, or even our continent? According to Jesus, many will try to deceive us about these things. But His prophecy is absolutely clear. His return will be glorious, everyone will know it, and no one will doubt whether it is the real event. Do not be deceived, and live each day in full anticipation of His sudden, visible return.