Anticipating Christ’s return

Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 NLT

People for centuries have speculated as to when Christ will return. There were even those who predicted specific date, time, and place. Even the specifics about the Antichrist and who could possibly be this person were predicted. There are those who try to identify people surrounding the second coming and yet, we were all left just to speculate. Books were written about this matter. One reason, I suspect, why God did not give us all the details about His return is so we could grow in our faith. He gives us just a little amount of information regarding His coming so we will endure and be expectant. He wants us not to take for granted our Christian life. Not knowing about specifics of His return will help us always think of being prepared and not become mediocre in our Christian living. He wants us to trust Him and be forward looking to the victory He already achieved for us when He returns. He wants us to be dependent on Him and not act independently ignoring His lordship over our lives. What God did was to give us a panoramic view about the future. For one, we know that the world will continue to deteriorate. Culture and societies will continue to degenerate and this earth will quiver as the end approaches. Antichrist will appear, the one chosen by Satan. He will become prominent and will promise peace all over the world. His plans are evil and diabolical and there will be people who will rally behind his purpose including those who claim they are Christians but are not. Paul wrote about this so he can inspire courage among the true followers of Christ. God wants His children to be faithful and because of Him working in their lives, they will remain true until the end. Their sure hope is anchored on the fact that they will see the Savior face to face. God doesn’t want us to be obsessed in studying the events surrounding His coming for there are more pressing needs in the present that He wants His children to address. As life becomes more difficult, He wants His children to remain strong and be assured in the knowledge that He is with them for eternity. Let us then live one day at a time, devoting ourselves serving Him faithfully, living godly lives, and anticipate that when the Day of the Lord comes, we will share with Him in glory.

Blessings,