Is Jesus Really Coming Back?

Is Jesus Really Coming Back?
John R. Petrilli

“I shall return!” With these famous words, General Douglas MacArthur promised the people of the Philippines that he’d come back to deliver them from the cruel tyranny of the occupying forces of the empire of Japan. Unlikely as it may have seemed to them at the time, MacArthur made good on his promise. The island country was completely liberated as Japan reluctantly surrendered to the Allied Forces and World War Two closed in victorious fashion.

Saying “good-bye” is one of the hardest things to do. Be it a departing serviceman or servicewoman, a friend relocating, or a work associate changing companies, it’s difficult to see them go. Gathered with His twelve closest friends for one last fellowship dinner together, Jesus broke the news that His time with them was rapidly coming to an end. No sooner had the trainees voiced their surprised bewilderment at this news, Jesus clarified that His departure was only temporary, and that He’d be back someday to pick them up and take them to their new home in heaven (John 14:1-3, “I WILL come back”). As we stand over two-thousand years beyond the day that promise was made, it sometimes seems equally incredulous that Jesus Christ Himself will actually re-enter human history. How can we possibly be sure that such an astounding event will actually come to pass? And if it does, is there any indication of just when we can expect it to happen? And if it does happen, what does that mean for this world of ours?

JESUS’ RETURN TO PLANET EARTH IS AN ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY! 2 Peter 3:1-7

The apostle Peter was tasked by God to compose two letters under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21; 3:1). These letters targeted believers who were scattered and dislocated throughout the ancient world due to wholesale and widespread persecution (1 Peter 1:1,6 ; 4:12-19). Peter’s letters vibrate the theme of hope, for that is the only thing that would enable them to survive the severe hardships they were encountering (1 Peter 1:3, 21 ; 3:15). But these readers had to pin their hopes on something far greater than anything human. Their hope had to be placed squarely in God Himself, and, in particular, in the promise of Jesus’ return (1 Peter 1:13). In his second circular correspondence, Peter elaborates on the details of the anticipated return of Jesus Christ to earth. He reminds them that all this “talk” of Jesus’ return will be met with a raw skepticism that’s born out of voluntary, deliberate amnesia. Mocking unbelief notwithstanding, Jesus’ return is as certain as the nose on your face. How do we know this? Peter points to God’s track record to substantiate his claim. A promise is only as reliable as the person making it, and in the case before us, we have a Person with a 100% track record of coming through on every single commitment He’s ever made. He spoke the universe into existence (3:5 , cf. Genesis 1, “God said” occurs nine times), spoke judgment in the form of a global flood 3:6, cf. Genesis 7,8), and will someday announce the end of this world via a universal meltdown (3:7). The point? When God speaks a Word, it’s as good as done! In light of this, Christians are to be immersed in the Word of God as penned by the apostles who wrote the letters of the New Testament (2 Peter 3:2). Such Biblical immersion will fill the Christian disciple with unshakeable confidence and living hope!

JESUS’ RETURN TO PLANET EARTH WILL BE RIGHT ON SCHEDULE! 2 Peter 3:8-10a

I recently spoke with a friend whose daughter encountered not one, but two flight delays in her return trip home from vacationing in sunny Florida. Delays, be them big or small, seem to be part of everyday life. It seems that, more often than not, timing can be everything. For the businessperson it can spell the difference between success and failure. For the medical professional it can mean the difference between life and death. OK, so let’s say that Jesus DOES actually return. Just when is this dramatic moment supposed to occur? Peter honors Jesus stipulation of not providing a specific day or hour (Acts 1:7). Instead, he places the emphasis on the seeming delay of God. Skeptics have historically pointed to this delay as undisputable proof that Christ’s promise to return is unreliable at best and laughable at worst (3:4b). But that very same delay actually indicates something quite different. Peter points out that God operates on a schedule that is totally foreign to our way of marking time. From our limited perspective, a two-thousand year delay seems like an eternity, but to a God Who lives outside of time and space, its equivalent to a one-day delay (3:8). The fact that His promise to return seems to be a long time in coming should not be interpreted as evidence that it will never happen. Rather, this delay is evidence of the incredibly patient love God has for His creation … He’s using that “delay” to give people as much time as possible to come back to Him in repentance and faith (3:9b, 15). Someone has once said that, “God’s delays are not His denials”, and that is never truer than in the case of the return of His Son to earth. As Peter confidently affirms, “the Day of the Lord WILL come!” (3:10a)

JESUS’ RETURN TO PLANET EARTH WILL SIGNAL THE ADVENT OF A NEW WORLD ORDER! 2 Peter 3:10b-13

As the recent global “G-20” summit came to a close, world leaders announced the need for a global economic union of all nations. These leaders from the 20 most powerful industrial nations also celebrated their accomplishment in laying the foundation for a world banking system that would utilize a world currency managed by the IMF (International Monetary Fund). The need for establishing a coherent infrastructure that insulates volatile global financial against a domino-like effect has never been more obvious. But long before our recent brush with a global economic tsunami, world leaders were warming up to the idea of a “new world order”, and were actively aspiring toward that goal. Hitler, Castro, Clinton, Bush Sr., Kissinger and Chavez have all made public references to such a new order that will unite all countries under one banking system, one currency, and one government that will incorporate vast changes in the way nations do business and conduct politics. It envisions all of mankind enjoying peace and prosperity under the underworld-empowered leadership of an individual who carries responsibility for the entire globe. While a unified world will seem necessary and desirable at that time, it’s miserably doomed to fail, simply because it will involve corruptible men with less than pure motives. On the other hand, we have God’s version of a New World Order. According to Peter, once man has had his best shot and then blown it royally, Jesus will revisit planet earth. That visit will commence with a housecleaning of cosmic proportions. Just when everything seems to be cruising along just fine, God will surprise and stun this world with cataclysmic judgment (3:10, “the Day of the Lord will come like a thief”, cf. Matthew 24:44, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Only this time, the Lord will cleanse creation, not with water, but with fire (3:10b-12). God will replace this vale of tears with a new heaven and a new earth that welcomes and embraces what is right and just and pure (3:13). What a refreshing place that will be to live in. Neighborhoods with zero crime. Neighbors who truly love one another and do good to each other. And best of all, a Leader Who can be trusted at all times to do what’s best for the citizens living in His kingdom. All of creation will experience the dawn of universal peace and harmony that man has so long sought after (Isaiah 11:6-8). Conflict and mutual destruction will be replaced with interpersonal and international relations that advance the cause of peaceful co-existence, and all this will happen because everyone on the planet will be filled with and controlled by the knowledge and love of God! (Isaiah 2:4 ; 11:9) I can’t wait! How about you?

JESUS’ RETURN TO PLANET EARTH CALLS FOR A PERSONAL RESPONSE. 2 Peter 3:14, 18

We’ve been taught since childhood to always be ready when company comes to visit. The house should be clean, the furniture in place, the bushes trimmed, the lawn mowed, our faces scrubbed squeaky clean, and our clothes in good repair. To fail here would be to insult our guests. We show respect when we go to the trouble of making ourselves presentable and pleasant to be around. Peter closes his second epistle with a whopper of a challenge. In light of the heaven-shaking, earth-quaking events that will change our universe forever, there is a certain type of response we should have. Peter’s challenge has a dual edge because the entire human race boils down to two simple categories. Those who know the Savior, and those who, as yet, do not. One easy way to determine whether or not you’re a true believer is to take an honest look at the kind of response the return of Jesus triggers in you. If you sense impending doom, it’s highly likely you don’t have a personal relationship with our Lord. If you find yourself in this first group, Peter extends to you the hand of invitation. God loves you folks, and, contrary to judging you, He’s really interested in saving you! His love is reaching out to you with a patience that is not easily worn out. He’s not “out to get you”, not intending to destroy you. That’s the devil’s diabolical end game for you (John 10:10). No, no, God wants you to be rescued from your fallen nature and a fallen world. To do so, He sent His Son, Jesus, to absorb the overwhelming sin debt we’ve all accrued, which He so valiantly did by dying the death penalty which sin so richly deserves. As you turn from your sin of unbelief and mistaken trust in your own “goodness”, and trust instead in what God has already done for you at the cross, you’ll be set free! For the very first time in your life you’ll understand what it feels like to be at total peace with God (“Make every effort to be at peace with Him”, 3:14)! However, if you look forward to Jesus’ return with an attitude of expectancy, you may well be the real deal. To this second group, Peter presents an end-times battle plan that guarantees success. First, he prescribes a lifestyle that incorporates inner purity [“spotless”] and interpersonal harmony [“blameless”]. Both of these processes find their way into the believer’s life as we internalize God’s Word and allow it to shape us into persons of grace (3:18)

Is Jesus really coming back? You better believe it! And when He does, any thinking person would want to be ready to meet Him. Are you ready?