Jesus is Coming Again – What Should You Do?

Jesus told us he was coming again. One day, Jesus presented some important truths for his disciples to contemplate and respond to. What can we do today to be ready for when he comes again?

He introduces the topic

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Luke 17:20-21(ESV)

The Kingdom of God looks different. One of the hardest things to grasp is this essential difference between earthly kingdoms and the heavenly kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is spiritually discerned and not visible in any earthly sense.

When we think of a nation we think of geographical borders, human leaders, a written constitution, standing army, politics and monetary policy or economy.

Jesus made a strong point when he told the Pharisees, his disciples and us that the Kingdom of God is within you – or in your midst. It is not in us individually as much as in us collectively. Together, every disciple, every follower of Jesus, makes up the Kingdom of God.

Prophecy and Warning

And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Luke 17:22-25 (ESV)

A new day was dawning for the disciples. Jesus was going away. He warned them many times of the days to come when they would experience this change.

After his crucifixion there was great fear. After his resurrection there was rejoicing – and profound questions. Then, after his ascension there was great seeking for the promised Holy Spirit.

During the days between the resurrection and ascension (about seven weeks) there must have been numerous times of longing for the days of Jesus again. Even though they encountered him from time to time, it was different than before the crucifixion.

Even now, there is a longing among the disciples for the days of Jesus. Even though we have the Holy Spirit, we long to see Jesus. We long for his manifest presence. We should truly be praying for the promise of his coming again.

There are from time to time rumors of the manifest presence of Jesus – that is his real physical presence. We are not to go running after these things. There is absolute certainty about his return – when he comes again it will be unmistakable.

Preparation is Futile

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

Luke 17:26-36 (ESV)

 Jesus wanted his disciples to realize that he will come when he is not expected! There won’t be a countdown or a warning. There won’t be a ‘grace period.’ He will come on what seems to be an ordinary day.

He’s Coming Again – Your Response

Just live your life. We needn’t make special arrangements or accommodations. We won’t need to rush inside to read just one more chapter of the Bible. There is no cramming for the exam!

Live your life in a state of readiness

That means living in obedience to Jesus. Three simple things to do:

Worship him. In all you do, spend time in worship. Sometimes worship is formal with a larger group of followers. Sometimes it is informal and expressed when we are just with him.

Share him with the world. He wants everyone to know him and love him. He depends on us to introduce the world to his mercy and grace.

Love everyone as he loves them. When we truly love we express Jesus to those around us. This is pleasing to him.

It also means we live in intimacy with Jesus. Here are five suggestions to enhance your intimacy.

Share every moment. Constantly talking to him, thanking him and confiding in him.

Cherish alone time with him. Nurture that one on one time with him by setting aside time every day to spend with him.

Love to love him. Remind yourself of what he has done for you and how much he loves you to help you love him more!

Read his word. Spend that quality time listening to what he says to you through his word.

Converse with him constantly. Don’t restrict your prayer and requests to a single time in the day but every time they come to mind, share them.

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