Mayor Gerardo Balmori
The Salvation Army
The second coming of Jesus is an imminent fact. Before we start into this topic, I want to make some
preliminary comments.
There are over 2,000 references to the second coming of Jesus in the Bible. For every prophecy
concerning the first coming of Christ, there are eight that look forward to His second!
Let’s ask these two questions:
• Will Jesus comes again? • When is He coming?
Will Jesus Come Again?
The Bible is clear that the return of Christ is certain. John 14:3: “And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” After His
Resurrection, Jesus appeared to people for 40 days. After giving some final instructions, He was
transported to Heaven before their very eyes. Two angels then appeared and said in Acts 1:11, “Men of
Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into
heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The early Christians were convinced that Jesus was going to return. In fact, they thought it was going
to happen in their lifetime. From the first century up to now, Christ followers have always believed
that Jesus could return at any time.
When Is He Coming?
Turn in your Bible to Matthew 24. This chapter contains more about the end times from the lips of
Jesus than any other section of Scripture. The material here has reference not only to events that were
about to take place in Jerusalem but also to those stretching far into the future. Specifically, two
momentous occurrences are intertwined throughout the chapter:
• The coming judgment upon Jerusalem
• The final judgment at the close of the world’s history
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, where he can overlook the temple mount. An amazing prophecy in
the book of Zechariah referring to the second coming of Christ, Zechariah 14:4 says, “On that day His
feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two
from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving
south.” After hearing the prediction of the temple’s demolition, they turn to Jesus and ask Him some
questions in verse 3: “…when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the
end of the age?”
In the first part of his answer in verses 4-14, Jesus gives us three significant signs to let us know that
His return is right around the corner. Let’s look at these briefly. 3 Signs
1. The first sign has to do with False Things. We see this in verses 4-5: “Watch out that no one
deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
There have been many examples of false messiahs in recent memory. Jim Jones in Jonestown. David
Koresh in Waco. As we near the return of the real Jesus, there will be an increasing number of leaders
who will claim that they are the Christ. A lot of these so-called saviors have been surfacing in the land
where Jesus actually lived. According to a recent TIME magazine article, a Psychiatric Hospital in
Jerusalem treats over 50 false messiahs a year.
2. That leads to the second significant sign in verses 6-13. Our world will increasingly
experience Bad Things that will range from cataclysmic natural disasters to an outpouring of evil
like we’ve never seen before. Killer hurricanes, deadly floods, and earthquakes are almost a daily
occurrence in the news. The bad news is that these disasters will only get more frequent and increase
in their intensity as we approach the end of time as we know it. Jesus very clearly taught that
earthquakes and famines are only the beginning of birth pains in verse 8. Coupled with natural
disasters, we will see an acceleration of unbridled evil. 2 Timothy 3:1 says, “But mark this: There will
be terrible times in the last days.”
3. These first two signs are negative, let’s take a look now at a positive precursor that will
indicate that the return of Jesus is close at hand. Sign #3 refers to some Good Things.
The first good thing that will happen as a prerequisite to the Second Coming may surprise you. Listen
to the words of Jesus in verse 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world
as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” The word ‘nations’ in this verse does not
refer primarily to political entities but to the various ‘people groups’ of the world. In other words,
every group of people must hear the gospel message before the end will come.
As we approach the end times, there will be a marked increase in the rhythm of world evangelization.
There will be a renewed interest in communicating the good news of forgiveness and eternal life
through Christ. We will see a new sense of urgency to penetrate the entire world with the lifechanging
message of Jesus Christ.
I believe that is precisely what is going on right now. There are reports from China, Latin America,
and Africa and from the former Soviet Union of unprecedented church growth. As people hear about
Jesus they are responding to His offer of a new life.
One of the reasons why Jesus has not returned yet is precisely because He wants to give everyone a
chance to hear about His first coming. For the last 2000 years, the life-changing message of Jesus has
penetrated cultures, nations, and thousands of languages. While there are still a number of people
groups that have not yet heard the good news, the progress of the gospel is truly amazing!
2 Peter 3:9 says that, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He
is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
In verses 15-28, Jesus reveals some specific events that will take place just prior to His return. Then,
in verses 29-31, He speaks of His return to the earth in great power and glory. I want to focus now on
the last part of chapter 24, where Jesus addresses the question of “when.” Let’s consider 3 facts about
the timing of His Second Coming.
No one will ever know the precise moment of His return as Jesus declares in verse 36: “No one knows
about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” The best we
can do is to read the signs and know that the time is at hand. If anyone ever tells you that they know
exactly when Jesus will return, don’t believe him. That person is either a false prophet or a seriously
deluded Bible student. Jesus strictly forbids setting dates for His return.
Whether is Jesus coming today, or in 100 years, we must be ready for Him!
