While many have made multiple resolutions for the New Year, I was just thinking and asking, “Could this be the year our Lord returns?” One thing I know for certain is that no one knows the day or time when He appears in the clouds of glory to take His bride to be with Him. And yet, another thing I know is that He promised He would come again!
A Subject Drawing Many Perspectives
Theologically speaking, many believe that Jesus will rapture His people just before the seven-year period of Israel’s Tribulation. Others think the rapture will happen halfway through that period, before the Great Tribulation. Some refuse to believe in a rapture at all. Still others believe that Jesus has already returned, which they say occurred in 70 A.D.
Personally, I hold to the pre-tribulation rapture of the saints. I do so after studying the other positions, only to find them lacking. I believe both the Old Testament and New Testament clearly show that Jesus will return to earth to reign in perfect peace for 1,000 years. This is all based on the foreknowledge of a perfect, all-knowing God.
Facts that We Must Never Forget
While we humans wrestle with the scriptures regarding the last days of this planet, the Lord knows what lies ahead. When it comes to Christ’s return, there is only One who knows when it will take place. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matt. 24:36 NIV1984).
The second fact is that we must be prepared. In the world in which we live, there are so many things to distract us, to keep our attention away from the Lord’s return. But Jesus emphasized this: “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt. 24:44).
A Promise that Will not be Broken
It is one thing for us to speculate on the end times; it is quite another for anyone to think that Jesus will not fulfill His promise. “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am” (John 14:2-3).
The promise of Christ’s return is found in His own testimony: “He who testifies to these things say, ‘Yes, I am coming soon’…” (Rev. 22:20). If Jesus returned in 70 A.D., then there is no promise for us since then. But the promises in the Book are for us today as they were for the disciples back then.
Could This be the Year Our Lord Returns?
Since none of us know the day or hour, we certainly do not know the year. In January 1965, after I had been preaching only four months, I asked, “Could 1965 be the year Jesus comes again?” In many of the Januaries since I have posed that question, not just to myself, but to others as well. He may not come this year — but He could! Whenever He does, it will be a time of celebration, praise, and reunion. As John responded to the Lord’s testimony, we should agree, “…Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
