The previous devotions in the How Do We Know If We Don’t Know series have been pointing to one thing – the return of Christ. This daily devotional discusses His return and what the signs mean regarding His return.
Nuggets
- Jesus will return on the clouds in a majestic way.
- It may not be a sign for believers, but it is a sign for non-believers.
- Just as the fig tree heralds the beginning of summer, the signs point to Jesus’ return.
- While the end times did not occur within the disciples’ lifetimes, the destruction of the temple did.
Devotions in the How Do We Know If We Don’t Know series
Jesus’ Return
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Mt. 24: 30-31 NLT).
Daniel talked about Jesus coming on the clouds. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7: 13-14 ESV).
I didn’t put this as a sign, although it says it is. To me, it is the first time Jesus returns. He comes for His church. It is the event to which the signs are pointing.
If that is what we are watching for, it wasn’t a sign to me. But I am a believer.
It is a sign to unbelievers. It is a sign that Jesus is real. It shows that everything God has told His followers to write in His Word is true.
If we look at it from the perspective Jesus is His own sign, it does make sense, though. I mean, what more do people want?
We have His Word. We have this beautiful world and the complexity of life. Are they really going to believe if they see some Hollywood splash? I really don’t think so.
We also have to look at it through the lens of what the Israelites expected in a Messiah. They expected a military Messiah. (They probably got this from Zechariah 12: 9.) They expected a show of might.
Jesus was saying, instead, “Sit tight. We’re going to get that.” They were going to get that for which they were looking — eventually.
I was tripping on the “… then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming …” (Mt. 24: 30 NLT) part. If He is coming for us, why would we be sad? If we are watching for Him, isn’t this what we want?
I would think we would be overjoyed.
If we know it’s Jesus, I would hope believers would be excited. True, it is something new and different, and we don’t like change.
But this is the Prince of Peace coming to take us home. Wouldn’t we be joyful?
This ties into Revelation 1: 7. “ Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen” (Rev. 1: 7 ESV). That really doesn’t shed any more light on the subject.
It also is referring to Zechariah 12: 10. “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zech. 12: 10 ESV).
One commentary I read said that Jesus will come with vengeance, and Jerusalem and the Israeli state would be destroyed. Another said it was just those who had done evil. Part of me thought on that one, “But we’ve all done evil.” The commentary for Zechariah explained it.
We’ve talked about that, when things are going good, we don’t turn to the Lord. It is only when things are scary and bad that we do. We grow in our faith by trials. That is what makes the mountain-top experiences. Maybe this is God’s way of making sure believers pray.
We try to imagine it. It is going to be so much more than we could ever imagine.
What Do All These Signs Mean?
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door” (Mt. 24: 32-33 NLT).
Summer is my favorite season. I like the warmth. I enjoy the bright, sunny days.
You never know when it is coming, though. Oh, sure. The summer solstice this year was June 21. But, that day and earlier this week, we’ve still felt like we were in Mud Spring. Now, today, we’ve finally gotten the warm temperatures.
Summer isn’t like the time change. It doesn’t arrive at a specific day and time. We just know it is coming.
It is kind of like the fig tree. It doesn’t have a set day or time to do its thing, but you know summer is coming when it does.
Jesus said the signs that He had given are like summer. You can see everything building for His appearance.
But you still won’t know exactly when Jesus is going to come again. What we need to know is that it is near.
Excuse Me, The End Didn’t Happen in Their Lifetimes
“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mt. 24: 34-35 NLT).
These verses can trip people up. Jesus has been gone 2,000 years. Surely His generation is dead and gone.
But we have to remember that there are a lot of past, present, and future descriptions in the Bible.
We have to think about it in what Jesus was describing. He was explaining two separate events with the same words. Yes, He was talking about the end times. However, He was also talking about the destruction of Jerusalem.
Remember, the temple was destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans. That was somewhere short of 40 years after He had spoken these words. John was at least alive then.
Jesus was saying that we could take His words to the bank. What He says will come to pass — maybe not the way we envision it, but it will happen.
Everything that is written in God’s Word is true. We can hold on to it in changing times. We can hold on to it in the end times. We can hold on to Him because He has us in the palm of His hand.
Loving Father. We are watching the eastern sky for Jesus’ return. It is unknown to us when or how it will happen. Give us Your peace. Help us to rest quietly in Your love. Give us strength to face what will be. We await the day we see Jesus and You. Amen.
What do you think? Why do you think believers will be mourning the return of Jesus?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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