Revelation Day 51 - He Shall Come Again

DAY 51
He Shall Come Again
Revelation 19:11-16

“He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.”

Christians all over the world confess this truth about Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus is coming back to Earth in a dramatic and unmistakable way. Rev. 19:11-21 is one of several places in the New Testament that tell us Jesus will return to finish applying God’s healing redemption to creation. 

But the big question is, “WHEN - when will Jesus return?” If we didn’t have Revelation in the New Testament, we’d assume the time of his return is a mystery. But Rev. 20 made things tricky because it introduces a special thousand-year period of time. Many call this “the Millennium.” You can divide up Revelation-readers by their views on what they think the Millennium is and when Jesus will return. 

You’ve basically got three camps: premillennialism thinks Jesus will return to set up a thousand years of peace; postmillennialism thinks Jesus returns after Christians create a thousand years of peace; and amillennialism thinks the number 1,000 is symbolic of the time we live in until Jesus returns.

Revelation is the only book of the Bible to add this wrinkle of the Millennium to how we view Last Things. That’s a good sign that we should not put too much weight on our opinion about the thousand years. Personally, I think the number is symbolic of the time we live in now, but I’m not going to exclude Christians who think differently.

Getting bogged down in predicting the date of Jesus’s return misses the point of Revelation and his Second Coming. We can discuss and debate, but don’t get distracted! Jesus confronted this distraction just as he was about to leave in Acts 1. The apostles wanted a timeline for his return. In no uncertain terms, Jesus answered, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:7-8, NIV). 

Jesus said to focus on how you live today. Be a faithful witness to the gospel, which Revelation is all about. That will make us ready for his return!

REFLECT
How much do you typically think about the return of Jesus Christ? 

PRAY
Lord, don’t let me get distracted trying to predict the day of your return. Instead, help me to be a faithful witness to the gospel today. Amen.