Keep An Eye On The Sky

Introduction – A Promise to Return

During the darkest days of World War II, General Douglas MacArthur faced what seemed like an impossible situation. In the Philippines, his forces were badly outnumbered, surrounded, and under constant attack. The President of the United States ordered him to evacuate—not because he wanted to abandon the fight, but because he was needed to rally, to regroup, and to prepare the counterattack that would eventually win the war.

As MacArthur prepared to depart, he grasped the hand of General Jonathan Wainwright, who would stay behind, and with deep emotion he promised: “I will return.” Those three words became a lifeline for the men left behind, and for the people of the Philippines who lived under occupation. They clung to the promise.

MacArthur slipped away under the cover of night, navigating dangerous skies and seas patrolled by the enemy, and finally reached Australia. There, reporters asked what his plans were. His answer was firm and unwavering: “I came through—and I shall return.”

And history records that two years later, in October 1944, MacArthur kept his word. He waded ashore at Leyte, raised his voice above the roar of battle, and declared: “To the people of the Philippines: I have returned.”

But long before MacArthur, there was another Commander, greater than any general. On the eve of His death, Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples who were troubled and afraid. He said in John 14: “Let not your heart be troubled… In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.”

Just as MacArthur’s promise gave hope in the darkest hour of war, so Christ’s promise gives us hope in the struggles of this life. But unlike MacArthur—who was only a man, who could have failed—Jesus is the Son of God, and He cannot lie. When He says, “I will come again,” we can stake our lives and our eternity on it.

And that is why Jesus warns us in Matthew 24:42: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

From that one verse, we learn that the return of Jesus Christ is:

1. A Glorious Event

2. A Mysterious Event

3. A Serious Event

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1. A Glorious Event

Jesus spoke of “the hour your Lord doth come.” That hour will be a glorious one for His people.

A) Our Redeemer Will Personally Be Coming

1 Thessalonians 4:16 declares: “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.”

Notice: the Lord Himself. He isn’t sending Gabriel. He isn’t dispatching Michael. He isn’t delegating this to a cherub or seraph. He is coming personally for His people.

Think about what that means: His voice will call you. His face you will see. That moment will be glory beyond description.

Fanny Crosby put it this way:

“I shall know Him, I shall know Him, by the print of the nails in His hands.”

Carrie Beck added:

“Face to face with Christ my Savior, face to face—what will it be?”

Yes, the greatest glory of His return is that we will finally see Jesus.

B) Our Redemption Will Finally Be Complete

Luke 21:28 says, “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

We often forget: redemption comes in three stages.

Past: We were saved from the penalty of sin—Christ made us righteous.

Present: We are being saved from the power of sin—Christ sanctifies us.

Future: We will be saved from the presence of sin—Christ will glorify us.

The final stage comes at His return. No more temptation. No more sorrow. No more death. The old hymn says: “We’ll rise to sin no more.”

That is why His coming is glorious—it means completion. It means heaven. It means home.

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2. A Mysterious Event

Jesus also said: “Ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

A) The Hour Is Unknown

Mark 13:35 lists the four watches of the night—Jesus could come in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning. The point is clear: no man knows the hour.

Even Jesus emphasized it in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

B) The Hour Is Unpredictable

History is filled with failed predictions. William Miller set dates in the 1800s, declaring Jesus would come in 1843, then again in 1844. Followers sold their homes, donned white robes, and waited. The day passed. History remembers it as The Great Disappointment.

The lesson? We cannot predict His return. Anyone who claims to set a date is, as one preacher quipped, “a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”