Introduction
In December 1941, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan launched an invasion of the Philippines, a U.S. territory at the time.
General Douglas MacArthur commanded the U.S. and Filipino forces defending the islands.
Despite fierce resistance, the U.S. and Filipino defenders were overwhelmed by the superior numbers and firepower of the Japanese.
Three months later, in March 1942, under orders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, MacArthur and his family, along with select members of his staff, evacuated to Australia to avoid capture, leaving behind tens of thousands of soldiers who would later endure the brutal Bataan Death March.
Upon arriving in Australia, General MacArthur told the press, “I came through, and I shall return.”
This promise became a rallying cry for both the American military and the Filipino people, symbolizing the commitment to liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation.
MacArthur kept his promise.
Two and a half years later, on October 20, 1944, MacArthur made a dramatic return to the Philippines, landing on the island of Leyte with U.S. forces.
In a radio broadcast, he announced: “People of the Philippines, I have returned!”
The subsequent campaign to liberate the Philippines was lengthy and costly, but it marked a turning point in the war in the Pacific.
General Douglas MacArthur’s “I shall return” became one of the most iconic quotes of World War II. It symbolized resilience, determination, and the eventual triumph of Allied forces in the Pacific.
Jesus did not use the exact words, “I shall return,” but the Bible contains several statements in which Jesus promises to come back again.
Perhaps the best-known statement about Jesus’ return occurs in his Upper Room discourse on the night of his betrayal and arrest before his crucifixion the next day.
Jesus’ disciples were understandably worried that something horrible might happen to Jesus and that their leader would be leaving them.
He assured his disciples that they would be fine without him.
Moreover, he promised that he would come back again.
Scripture
Let’s read John 14:2-3, where Jesus said:
2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Lesson
This year’s Advent series is “Questions About the Birth of Jesus.”
So far, Pastor Scott and I have answered the following questions:
• “Why did God become man?”
• Why did Jesus come when he did?”
• Why did Jesus come?”
Today, I plan to answer the question, “Why must Jesus come again?”
The Bible teaches us that there are several reasons why Jesus must come again.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. To Fulfill Prophecy
2. To Establish God’s Kingdom
3. To Judge the World
4. To Defeat Satan
5. To Restore Creation
6. To Bring Eternal Life
7. To Demonstrate His Glory
I. Jesus Must Come Again To Fulfill Prophecy
First, Jesus must come again to fulfill prophecy.
Most likely, Jesus and his disciples left the Temple on the Tuesday before his crucifixion. Jesus predicted the Temple would be destroyed (see Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6).
Jesus and his disciples walked up the Mount of Olives adjacent to the Temple.
On the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked Jesus when the destruction of the Temple would occur.
The disciples also asked Jesus about when he would come again.
We read in Matthew 24:3: “As he [Jesus] sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ ”
Jesus then delivered what scholars call “The Olivet Discourse,” which is so named because Jesus taught his disciples on the Mount of Olives.
He warned his disciples not to be led astray.
He told his disciples that many would claim to be the Christ and lead many astray.
He gave many signs to let his disciples know that his return to Earth would be imminent.
Then, Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 24:29-31:
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Later, after Jesus ascended into heaven, we read these words in Acts 1:10-11:
10 And while they [the disciples] were gazing into heaven as he [Jesus] went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 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.”
There are approximately 300 prophecies that were fulfilled regarding Jesus’ First Advent.
Do you know how many prophecies are related to Jesus’ Second Advent?
Some Bible scholars estimate that there are over 1,500 prophecies that relate to Jesus’ return.
Some of those prophecies relating to Jesus’ Second Advent have been fulfilled.
Many more prophecies still need to be fulfilled.
All 300 prophecies related to Jesus’ First Advent were fulfilled, and all 1,500 prophecies related to his Second Advent will be fulfilled.
II. Jesus Must Come Again To Establish God’s Kingdom
Second, Jesus must come again to establish God’s kingdom.
John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin. He was also the forerunner to Jesus’ ministry.
Matthew tells us in Matthew 3:1–2: “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ”
Not long after this, when Jesus began his ministry, after his temptation by Satan in the wilderness, we read in Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ”
John and Jesus were referring to the inauguration of Jesus’ kingdom.
Throughout his three-year ministry, Jesus taught people about his kingdom, including what it was like and how to enter it.
Jesus’ kingdom expanded and grew even after ascending to heaven.
However, Jesus’ kingdom will not be fully established on Earth until he returns.
The Apostle John wrote the final book in the Bible, Revelation. We read these wonderful words about the new heaven and the new earth in Revelation 21:1-4:
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
This glorious event will take place when Jesus comes again and establishes God’s kingdom on Earth.
III. Jesus Must Come Again To Judge the World
Third, Jesus must come again to judge the world.
One of Jesus’ converts was Saul, whose name was changed to Paul.
Paul became Jesus’ chief preacher and theologian in the first century A.D.
During one of his missionary journeys, Paul walked through Athens.
His spirit was provoked because the city was full of idols.
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
Later, when Paul addressed the Athenians at the Areopagus, he noted their worship of an “unknown god.”
Using the opportunity to point the people to Jesus, he said, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23).
He then explained how God had created them.
Then Paul said in Acts 17:29-31:
29 “Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Paul stressed that God had appointed a day when judgment would come to all.
Jesus must come again to bring final justice, reward the righteous, and punish the wicked.
IV. Jesus Must Come Again To Defeat Satan
Fourth, Jesus must come again to defeat Satan.
In 1 Peter 5:8, the Apostle Peter tells us, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
However, when Jesus comes again, he will defeat Satan for all time.
Revelation 20 is one of the most controversial chapters in the Bible.
Premillennialists, amillennialists, and postmillennialists interpret what is said in Revelation 20 differently.
However, all agree that when Jesus comes back again, he will defeat Satan forever. Listen to what the Apostle John writes in the following verses from Revelation 20:
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while….
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Satan will be finally and forever defeated after Jesus comes back again.
V. Jesus Must Come Again To Restore Creation
Fifth, Jesus must come again to restore creation.
Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden did not only affect humans.
Adam’s sin affected creation as well.
After God created Adam, we read in Genesis 2:8-9a:
8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
The Garden of Eden was idyllic.
Everything was beautiful.
There were no weeds.
There were no diseases.
There was no sin.
But when sin entered the world, not only did Adam and all his posterity fall, but so did all creation.
Listen to what God said about creation in his words to Adam in Genesis 3:17b: “Cursed is the ground because of you.”
In his letter to the Romans, Paul addressed the issue of creation. He wrote in Romans 8:19-21:
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
When Jesus returns and establishes the new heavens and the new earth, creation will be restored to its pristine beauty and perfection.
VI. Jesus Must Come Again To Bring Eternal Life
Sixth, Jesus must come again to bring eternal life.
Jesus told his disciples in the Upper Room on the night of his betrayal that he would return. He said in John 14:2-3:
2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Later, Paul heard that the Thessalonians were concerned about what would happen when Jesus returned.
So, Paul gave the Thessalonian believers more information about what would happen when Jesus came back again in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Believers will be with Jesus forever when he comes back again.
VII. Jesus Must Come Again To Demonstrate His Glory
And seventh, Jesus must come again to demonstrate his glory.
Jesus’ ministry on earth lasted almost three years.
In some ways, Jesus was a sensation.
People flocked to see Jesus perform miracles and heal people.
People listened to his preaching and teaching.
However, after a while, furious opposition arose against Jesus.
Opposition against Jesus became so strong that he was vilified, beaten, spat upon, scourged, mocked, crucified, and buried.
If that were all that happened to Jesus, we would not be here today.
His name would be a minor character in the annals of history.
However, three days after his crucifixion and burial, God raised Jesus back to life again.
Forty days later, Jesus ascended into heaven, where he is seated at God the Father's right hand.
The first time Jesus came to earth, he came in humility.
However, when Jesus comes back again, he will come in exaltation.
His Second Advent will be a public and undeniable display of his authority and glory, affirming his identity as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Speaking of Jesus, the Apostle John wrote in Revelation 19:16: “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
And the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 2:9-11:
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When Jesus comes again, he will do so with an incredible demonstration of his glory.
Conclusion
I have given you seven reasons why Jesus must come again.
What can you do now for Jesus’ Second Advent?
Be ready!
Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians in 1 Thessalonians 5:2: “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”
Though there are signs that will take place immediately before Jesus’ return, no one knows precisely when he will return.
When Jesus was on earth, even he did not know when he would return, as he said in Matthew 24:36: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Jesus himself told his disciples to be ready for his return. He said in Matthew 24:44: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
One day, while visiting a home for learning-disabled children operated by a Christian friend, Joseph Stowell, then president of Moody Bible Institute, noticed the tiny handprints of children covering the window.
Stowell remarked about them to his friend.
“Oh, those,” he replied. “The children here love Jesus, and they are so eager for him to return that they lean against the windows as they look up to the sky” (Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker’s Quote Book: Over 4,500 Illustrations and Quotations for All Occasions [Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997], 339).
The best way to prepare for Jesus's return is to live in submission and service to him.
Give control of your life to Jesus.
Surrender your life to Jesus today.
Say, as Jesus said to his Father, “Not my will but yours be done.”
Live for Jesus every moment of every day, and you will be ready when he comes again. Amen.
