But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24: 36, NRSV.
Dear God, we are excited to hear about Your return to earth! We know that when we become aware of everything that this event represents, we will become even more excited, and long for it to happen soon! So please speak to our hearts about the truth of Your return! In the name of Jesus we pray! Amen.
I am almost certain that everyone who is reading this devotional today, at one time or another, have heard someone mention that Jesus will return to earth. I do not know in what context it was mentioned, or what was said. What I really am interested in knowing, is, what kinds of feelings did this evoke in you. Did the conversation make you fearful? Were you happy to hear of His return? If you were not happy about it, did that make you feel guilty? We will be dedicating some time to the topic of Christ’s return in several of our devotionals in the coming days; as the Spirit moves. I ask you to join me in prayer during this series that the Holy Spirit may take full control, and speak to our hearts in ways that we have not heard before.
The first premise we will discuss in this series is, no one knows the day, or the hour, of Jesus’ return. Anyone who claims to know exactly when Jesus is coming back, is speaking contrary to the Word of God. It does not matter if that someone is Nostradamus, or a preacher of the gospel. Jesus Himself said, not even I know the day and hour of my return! My Father has kept it to Himself! Let us think about some of the advantages of not knowing when Jesus will return:
1) It helps us to live in a state of readiness. “Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Matthew 24: 44, NRSV). Many would lose the blessing of walking with Jesus day by day. Perhaps they would wait until exactly when He was about to burst the clouds of heaven to begin to get ready. That could result in them not being ready (Matthew 25: 1-13).
2) It keeps us mindful of the hour in which we are living. “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21: 28, NRSV). Since we cannot be sure of the day and hour, at least we can read the signs, and tell when the hour is drawing near. We can keep our eyes on the prophetic clock.
The herald went through the town blowing his trumpet and announcing, “The queen will be visiting this city very soon. Make sure everything is in the best possible condition.” All the citizens went into a frenzy, as they cleaned their yards, painted their houses and repaired, and painted, their fences. The excitement ran high! They were expecting the queen. In two weeks the town looked like a fairy tale town. It sparkled with newness! But the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months, and the months to a year, and one year turned into two. But the queen did not come.
Needless to say, little by little, the town regained its original drab look; with one exception, a beautiful yellow house on the corner. The yard was kept trimmed, the house repainted yearly, the curtains changed regularly. When the neighbors asked her why she was doing this, her reply was, “One day the queen will come!” A certain day the herald was again heard blowing his trumpet in the streets. Many did not even look through their windows; and only a few came out of their homes, looking bored; expecting nothing. The only difference this time, is that the herald was not announcing that the queen would come, but that, “The queen is here!” Only one family in the entire city was ready to receive the queen!
What about you, when the King returns, will you be ready to meet Him?