“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. … Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into” (Matthew 24:36, 42-43).
The day and hour of Jesus’ return to earth is the most closely guarded secret in all of creation. While Jesus walked the earth, not even He was privy to it. And God the Father isn’t about to leak this Top Secret information to any angel, much less any human. Yet, from time to time, Bible students think they’ve figured it out. They come up with some formula on how they can calculate the day of the Lord’s return. But let’s be realistic. If this information was withheld from Jesus, it’s not likely God’s going to allow anyone else to know it either.
You see, in military operations, the element of surprise is absolutely critical. And Christ’s invasion of this planet with heaven’s armies represents the greatest military operation ever. Just as the timing and place of Operation Overlord in WWII had to be kept a closely guarded secret, so God maintains tight security over the time of the Lord’s return. Jesus even explains that if “the head of the house” (i.e. Satan, as in Luke 11:21-22) knew at what hour the thief (i.e. Jesus) was coming, he would have been on the alert. But God is determined to take Satan and this world by total surprise when Christ returns.
So let’s stop trying to figure out when Jesus is coming and just get busy preparing for His coming. How do we do that? We prepare for Christ’s coming by getting our hearts right with Him. We prepare for His judgment seat by remaining busy in the work He calls us to do. We prepare for heaven by growing in grace and faith and by allowing God to conform us into the image of His Son.
“For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, …we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Corinthians 5:7-10, NLT).
REFLECTION
- If you live with the return of Jesus and our appearance before His judgment seat always in view, how do you think it will affect your priorities and the choices you make?
- God’s pursuit in this life is to get us ready for eternity. This life is merely heaven’s dressing room. Shouldn’t our desires and focus reach beyond this life?
- The Bible says, “Keep seeking the things above” (Colossians 3:1). Let’s obey.
