The Blessed Hope and Walking Until Christ Returns

Article 13 of 13 in the Walking with Jesus Series

What do you do with the fact that this world, as it is, is not the end of the story? Every human being senses that something is wrong - that things are not as they should be, that justice is incomplete, that suffering is not the final word. Scripture answers this longing with a promise: Jesus Christ is coming back. Not as a helpless infant in a manger, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords, to complete what He began at His first coming and to make all things new. This is the blessed hope, and it is the horizon toward which the entire Christian life is oriented.

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus promised His disciples that He would come back:

The promise is personal and specific. He will come again. He will receive His people to Himself. The separation is temporary. The reunion is certain.

When the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven, two angels appeared and confirmed the promise:

The same Jesus. In like manner. Visibly, personally, bodily. The return of Christ is not a metaphor for something that happens in the heart or at death. It is a future historical event as real and as literal as the ascension that preceded it.

Scripture is consistent in describing the second coming of Christ as a visible, audible, unmistakable event. Jesus warned against those who would claim that Christ had come secretly:

The coming of Christ will be like lightning - visible from horizon to horizon. There will be no ambiguity, no secret arrival, no need for anyone to point it out. Every eye will see Him:

Paul gives the most detailed description of the events surrounding Christ's return in his first letter to the Thessalonians:

Three things happen simultaneously: the Lord descends, the dead in Christ are raised, and the living believers are transformed and caught up together with them. The result is permanent: "so shall we ever be with the Lord." This is the culmination of everything the gospel has promised.

Paul describes the transformation of the living:

The mortal body will be transformed into an immortal one. Death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54).

John describes the final destination in the closing chapters of Revelation:

The new creation is not a vague spiritual state. It is a renewed physical reality - a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13), in which God Himself will dwell with His people:

The separation between God and humanity that began in the Garden of Eden will be permanently ended. The story that began with God walking with His people in the garden will end with God dwelling with His people in the new creation.

The return of Christ is not merely a comfort for the dying. It is a shaping force for the living. Paul draws out the practical implications immediately after describing the return of Christ:

And in the next chapter:

The hope of Christ's return produces both comfort and watchfulness. Comfort for those who grieve. Watchfulness for those who are tempted to grow careless. John draws the same connection:

The hope of seeing Christ produces a desire to be like Him. The person who is genuinely looking for His appearing will be motivated to live in a way that reflects the values of the kingdom He is coming to establish.

Paul describes the kind of life that is appropriate for those who are waiting for Christ:

Soberly, righteously, and godly. These are not the qualities of a person who has given up on the present because they are waiting for the future. They are the qualities of a person who takes the present seriously precisely because they know what is coming.

The Christian who is genuinely waiting for Christ will be found faithful in the small things - honest in their dealings, generous with their resources, patient in their relationships, and persistent in their witness. Not because they are trying to earn their place in the kingdom, but because they love the King who is coming and want to be found ready when He arrives.

• "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (Matthew 24:42, KJV)
• "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20-21, KJV)
• "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28, KJV)
• "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13, KJV)
• "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20, KJV)

"The second coming already happened in AD 70." The preterist view holds that the prophecies of Christ's return were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. But Revelation 1:7 says every eye shall see Him, and Acts 1:11 says He will come in the same manner as He was seen going into heaven - visibly and bodily. The destruction of Jerusalem was a real and significant event, but it does not fulfil these descriptions.

"Christ will return secretly, and only believers will know." Matthew 24:27 compares the coming of the Son of Man to lightning that shines from east to west. Revelation 1:7 says every eye shall see Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 describes a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God. The second coming of Christ will be the most unmistakable event in human history.

"We cannot know anything about the timing of Christ's return." While Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36), He also gave signs by which His followers could know that His coming was near (Matthew 24:32-33). The Christian is not to be ignorant of the times, but to be watchful and ready.

"The hope of Christ's return is an excuse to neglect the present world." Paul's instruction in Titus 2:11-13 is to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world while looking for the blessed hope. The return of Christ is not a reason to disengage from the world. It is a reason to engage with it faithfully, knowing that what we do in His name has eternal significance.

1. Let the hope shape your priorities. If Christ could return at any time, what would you want to be doing when He comes? Let that question shape how you spend your time, your money, and your energy.

2. Use it as an anchor in suffering. When circumstances are hard and the present is painful, the blessed hope reminds you that this is not the end of the story. "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18, KJV)

3. Let it motivate witness. The return of Christ means that time is limited and the stakes are eternal. The people around you will either be among those who are gathered to meet the Lord or among those who are not. This reality should give urgency and compassion to your witness.

4. Pray for His coming. The last prayer in the Bible is "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20, KJV). The person who loves Christ will long for His appearing. Make this prayer a regular part of your devotional life.

1. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Paul writes this passage to comfort believers who are grieving for those who have died. How does the promise of the resurrection and the second coming address that grief? What is the practical instruction Paul gives at the end of the passage (v. 18)?

2. Read Matthew 24:36-44. Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour. What practical response does He draw from this (vv. 42-44)? What does it mean to be "ready"?

3. Read Revelation 21:1-7. God describes the new creation in terms of what will no longer be there (v. 4) and what will be there (v. 3). What strikes you most about this description? How does it address the deepest longings of the human heart?

4. Read Titus 2:11-14. Paul says the grace of God "teaches" us to live in a certain way. What does grace teach? How does the hope of Christ's return (v. 13) connect to the way we live now (vv. 11-12)?

5. How does the hope of Christ's return change the way you think about your current circumstances - your work, your relationships, your suffering, your service? Write down one specific way this hope should change how you live this week.

• Joyful Service and Witness - Article 12 in this series
• God's Love Revealed - Article 1 in this series
• The Prophecy Timeline - A visual guide to the events of the last days

Primary passages: Titus 2:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:1-22:5

Supporting passages: Matthew 24:26-27, 36-44; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; Romans 8:18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:20-21; Hebrews 9:28; 1 John 3:3; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 22:20

Recommended reading:

• Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Review and Herald, 1888), Chapter 40: "God's People Delivered"
• George Eldon Ladd, The Blessed Hope (Eerdmans, 1956)
• Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Tyndale, 2004)

Do you have a question about the second coming or the blessed hope? Ask it here - your question may become our next article.

This article was adapted from the themes presented in the classic devotional book Steps to Christ. To access the original book, please click here.