The return of Christ. I’ve been thinking about Christ’s return which is one of the central beliefs for Christians.
11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:11
Early church memories
My parents took us to church every week. We attended Calvary Baptist Church in Irwin, PA. I don’t remember any of the pastor’s messages. But, I do recall a few of the special events that we had and they both centered around the second coming of Jesus Christ.
One of those memories involved an artist. He made a chalk art work while he spoke about the return of Christ. When he finished, they turned the lights off on the platform and he hit the artwork with black light. The light exposed another image which showed Jesus returning in the clouds.
The other memory involved the movie, “Thief in the Night“. The movie dramatized what it would be like if Christ returned and you missed it. It shook me to the core. I lived in terror of missing the return of Christ.
Tired of waiting?
In the 1990’s and early 2000’s many Christians were reading the “Left Behind” series of books. These books provided an idea of what the world might look like during the time of the return of Christ. The books were very popular in the christian community. I read many of the books and enjoyed them.
It seemed to me that the church was preoccupied with the return of Christ.
Lately it seems like the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. I rarely hear anything about the return of Christ. And the “Left Behind” books are not seen a positive light.
What changed? Did we get tired of waiting? Did we start enjoying the world around us?
Certainly no one needs to be rescued from a world that they enjoy.
Lately
So why am I thinking about the return of Christ? Has my life suddenly become terrible? No. Things are going well with both my family and my work. So what has me thinking about Christ’s return?
The Bible and Chuck Smith.
I’ve been listening to old Chuck Smith messages. Chuck pastored Calvary Chapel Church in Costa Mesa and was the central figure in the Jesus Movement. The movement was the topic of the Jesus Revolution movie. I blogged about the movie here.
Specifically, I’ve been listening to his teaching on the book of Isaiah. There are sections of Isaiah that tell of the coming of a savior who will set things straight. This also reminded me of Zechariah 14
3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.[a]
6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost.[b] 7 And there shall be a unique[c] day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea[d] and half of them to the western sea.[e] It shall continue in summer as in winter.
Zechariah 14:3-8
I think that Alfred Reed’s “Russian Christmas Music” would make a great soundtrack to accompany this event.
He’s going to return
Whether we like it or not, Jesus is going to return. We can argue about when, but if you believe the Bible it leads you to believe in Christ’s return.
If you are at peace with God then this will give you comfort. I encourage you to make peace with God today. Click here if you want to know more.