Jesus Will Return

“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:27)

Elizabeth and Mike had been divorced for quite some time. In the days following their breakup, Mike had faithfully kept his commitment to the visitation schedule the court had set up for their son, John. Every other weekend, for two weeks in the summer, and on alternating holidays, Mike showed up at Elizabeth’s front door to collect his son. He worked hard to maintain their relationship and shared the responsibilities of raising their six year old son.

As time passed, however, Mike’s visits became more sporadic. He’d call at the last minute and say something had come up or that he’d been called in to work. Sometimes he didn’t have an excuse. He’d just say he wasn’t coming to pick up John that weekend.

One day Elizbeth’s cell phone rang. Seeing Mike’s name on the caller ID, she handed the phone to Honor.

“Hey, Buddy, I’ve got tickets to the Mets game.” Mike’s voice boomed through the speaker. “I’ll pick you up around ten. We can grab pizza afterward at Howie’s.”

They talked for a few minutes about batting averages and whether to have pepperoni or sausage on their pizza, then Mike clicked off. John tossed the phone to Elizabeth and pumped the air. His eyes shone brighter than they had in a long time.

When Elizabeth went to John’s room the next morning to awaken him, she found him dressed in his New York Mets shirt and ball cap. His glove and ball sat beside him on the bed. Head in his hands and elbows on the windowsill, he watched through the window for his dad to arrive.

“Oh, honey,” she said, wrapping her arm around his thin shoulders and giving him a squeeze, “your daddy’s not coming for a couple of hours.”

“I know, Mom,” he said. “I just want to be ready.”

You probably already know the ending to this sad story. John’s dad never showed up. He called an hour before bedtime to say he’d been helping a friend work on his car and lost track of time. They’d do it another time.

John snatched the hat from his head, threw it into the corner, and flung himself, facedown, on his bed. Instead of lying awake in excitement, he cried himself to sleep.

Sadly, this scenario plays itself out in homes across this country every day. And not just homes that have been broken by divorce. If we swapped stories, we could all share times when an unkept promise weakened our trust, stole our hope, and broke our hearts.

I’m so grateful God keeps His promises. And that He never stands us up. Luke 21 records one of the most hope filled promises in the Bible-the promise of Christ’s return.

Jesus Himself described His second coming this way: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

No longer the suffering servant, Christ will come as a conquering King and a righteous ruler. Governments will crumble before Him. Armies will flee. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Even today as the world seems to be hell bent on its own destruction. I do still find great hope in knowing that God, not sinful mankind, orchestrates the events of our times. Because He’s all powerful, we can trust Him to shepherd of the panorama of world affairs until theyculminate in His triumphant and victorious return. And because He cannot lie, we can rest in confident expectation that He will do everything He has promised.

He’ll resurrect our mortal bodies, reward our service, and usher us into His heavenly kingdom. He’ll reveal to us the place He’s been preparing for us, and there we will live with the Lord forever.

As John watched for his father, we, too, should carefully watch for our heavenly Father and be prepared for His return because no man knows the day or time of His return. We can remain alert to signs of the times and biblical prophecy and “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).

Because we know He’s coming, we can continue to serve Him, hope filled and strong, as we rest in the promise of His return.

Take Heart

Jesus won’t disappoint us. He will come again.

From the Heart

Lord, sometimes this world is scary. It’s easy to forget You’re in control But knowing that You will one day return gives me hope for the future. Thank You for being a Father who keeps His promises to His children. Even so, come quickly, for we need You so much, Lord Jesus! Amen.