How?⤒🔗

Some years ago while watching a Schools Cup rugby match I was joined by a gentleman who was also viewing the game. I confess to not knowing the gentleman particularly well and being somewhat irritated by his insistence on giving a running commentary on the match. At least it seemed to me to be a commentary on the match before us, but, as the game progressed, I realised that his commentary was interspersed with all kinds of details about matches in which he had played in the days of his youth. Indeed, there were moments when it was very difficult to distinguish between his commentary on the ‘live’ game and his reminiscences of past games. He was ‘jumping’ from one game to another.

There is a sense in which Matthew 24 is a commentary on the last days on two levels. There are verses which refer to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in AD 70 and other portions which refer to the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory.

At times it can be difficult for us to discern just exactly which of these two events Jesus is speaking about, but as we consider this great doctrine of the Return of Christ we will find that the Olivet discourse, spoken by our Lord to his disciples, both instructs and challenges us concerning the Day of The Lord.

There is no doubt that Jesus is coming again. The angels clearly told the disciples at the ascension of Jesus ‘This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’ (Acts 1:11) This is the consistent testimony of the New Testament Scriptures. In this, our first study we want to consider the question – How? How will Jesus return? What will be the manner of his appearing?

Visibly←↰⤒🔗

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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.Matthew 24:30

At his first coming Jesus appeared in relative obscurity. Apart from a number of privileged individuals who were, by and large, located around Bethlehem very few people were aware that the Saviour of the World had come. When He comes again His appearing will be altogether different. ‘Every eye will see Him and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)

Audibly←↰⤒🔗

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:31

Whilst this aspect of the return of Christ is not something we often think about it is clear from Scripture that there will be considerable noise associated with the appearing of the Saviour. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 we read:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

Gloriously←↰⤒🔗

We have already noticed how our Saviour declared that when He came men and women would see Him coming ‘on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.’ In what sense will His appearing be glorious? I think that there is no doubt that the transfiguration gives us a glimpse of what the appearing of Christ will look like. There, on the mount, Jesus shone with His divine glory. The night sky was illuminated by the radiant appearance of the Son of God, and Peter, James and John were privileged to see Him for a moment not according to his humanity but according to His divinity. The whole experience so impacted Peter that he commented in his second epistle that ‘we ... were eyewitnesses of His majesty.’ (1 Peter 1:16)

But the return of Christ will not only be glorious because of His radiant appearance but also because He will be accompanied by the angels. In Matthew 25:31 Jesus Himself reminds us that when He comes He will be accompanied by ‘all the holy angels’. In Matthew 24:31 we are told that the angels will go forth to gather in the elect while in Matthew 13:41 the angels are given the solemn task of gathering up the ungodly for judgement. Whatever their role may be they will accompany Christ and will add to the sheer glory of this momentous moment.

Suddenly←↰⤒🔗

In Matthew 24:36-44 Jesus impresses upon us the suddenness and unexpectedness of His return. The exact moment is known only to God the Father (v 36) but our calling is not to spend endless hours trying to work out the date of His return but instead to live in a state of constant readiness. Jesus speaks about the days of Noah and how, despite years of preaching and warning, the people refused to listen to the preacher when he had warned of the flood. One can instantly see the parallels here with our own day. Men and women have been constantly warned of the need to be prepared for the return of Christ but, like in the days of Noah, choose to ignore the preacher.

Jesus also challenges us in verses 45 to 51 to be faithful servants during His absence. Just as the master in the parable returned unexpectedly to the household so He will return suddenly to this earth.

Here is a word for both unbeliever and believer. Jesus is coming again. For this great event you must prepare. You must prepare by turning from your sin and crying out in faith to Jesus Christ for salvation. Nothing else will do.

If you are a Christian then you need to be living in a state of constant readiness for the return of Jesus. Within our reformed tradition we have become rather skilful at subtly ‘dumbing down’ this truth. Ever aware that certain signs must occur before Jesus comes, we relax our vigilance by resting in the knowledge that the Gospel has not yet been preached to all the nations and the Antichrist has not yet appeared. How very foolish! Yes, I know for sure that certain things must happen before Jesus returns but I know also that Jesus said: ‘Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’ (Matthew 24:44) I may not be able to adequately reconcile the unexpectedness of His return with the necessity of the ‘signs of His coming’ to be fulfilled but that gives me no excuse to play down the suddenness of His coming. Each day I live I should be looking out for His appearing. Each day I live I should be asking the old question – ‘If Jesus came today would He be pleased to find me here, in this place, with these people?’