Daily devotion – The return of Jesus Christ and Bible prophecy!
What Is Bible Prophecy?
Is Bible prophecy important? Why should we study it? And can anyone really know what Bible prophecy is all about?
Surprisingly, these are not questions I’ve heard from unbelievers—but from those who profess to follow Jesus Christ!
Bible prophecy—God’s declarations of future events—makes up approximately one-quarter of all Scripture. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ alone is mentioned 1,845 times in the Bible, with 318 references in the New Testament. Seventeen Old Testament books and one New Testament epistle are devoted primarily to this great theme. In fact, seven out of every ten chapters in the New Testament mention Christ’s return. Entire passages in the second half of the Bible are dedicated to discussing it.
Yes, Jesus Christ is the central theme of the Bible—but we are not only to proclaim the Christ of the Cross, but also the Christ of the Second Coming!
Jesus said that only God the Father knows the day and hour when He will send His Son back. Yet the Apostle Paul tells us that believers can live with joyful expectation. He writes in Romans 15:4:
“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”
We wait with hope for the glorious climax—the appearance of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The early Church thought more about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ than they did about death or even Heaven. They were not looking for a cleft in the ground called the grave, but for a cleavage in the sky called Glory! They were not watching for the undertaker, but for the Uppertaker.
To them, man’s highest priority was to get right with God—lest they be left behind when Christ returned!
The great wartime Prime Minister of England, Sir Winston Churchill, had a favourite American hymn:
“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”
And the Apostle Peter, in some of his final words before his own martyrdom, encouraged believers to face trials with courage, because those trials would lead to…
“…praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:7
So today, as you read this, let me ask:
Are you ready for Christ’s return?
Are you looking for His coming again?
Is your gaze focused downward—on the things of this world—or are you looking up, in anticipation of that blessed hope?
Jesus Christ is coming again—ready or not!