The return of the Lord Jesus Christ hasn’t always been imminent, but oh is it now!

My father had a rule for my brother and I when we were old enough to drive and be out on our own. His rule was we needed to be home by midnight. His belief behind the rule was, “Nothing good happens after midnight.” We learned from him there was a danger at the midnight hour. Dangers more than Cinderella hurrying home from the ball. I suppose my father had experience behind the rule, but we never asked, and he never said.

There was someone else concerned about the midnight hour and its danger – that is the Lord Jesus. He gave signs to indicate the generation of His return for His church, but He cautioned us that even with the signs, it may be at the last hour He comes, the midnight hour. He warned that most people would be spiritually unaware, would not stay awake to the midnight hour. In fact it has become reality that many have totally lost any sense of the fulfillment of signs.

It has been accepted theology in most conservative evangelical churches that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent, but not necessarily for this generation. They taught from the time of His ascension to today, Jesus could come at any time for His church. He could have come in 123 or 1023 or 1923 or 2023. No one knows, we are just to always be ready. But is that true? Could Jesus always have come at any minute from the resurrection til now? I don’t believe that is what Jesus and the Bible teaches. In fact, by the word of Jesus and the Bible, it is only this generation now for whom Jesus’ return is imminent. There are two prophecies that have to be being fulfilled before the return of Jesus is truly imminent. They are the two signs which make our generation so exciting, challenging, and dangerous.

It is true since Jesus’ ascension that we are living what the Bible calls the last days. John calls it living in “the last hour” (1 John 2:18). The writer of Hebrews calls these the last days (Hebrews 1:2). What makes these the last days is that all of God’s work for salvation has been done. Jesus has come and conquered sin, Satan, and death. He has resurrected triumphant. He rules creation with all authority at the right hand of the Father. He has nothing more to do but to come to bring His kingdom to earth for a thousand years, to bring the eternal judgment, and turn all things over to the Father. We aren’t looking and expecting anything more than that He come. It is the passionate prayer of the church to Jesus in Revelation 22:20, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

But the truth is Jesus said that He would come to one generation as two prophecies are fulfilled. Many people like to quote the words of Jesus to the first century apostles when they wanted to know if the kingdom was coming now. Jesus said to them in Acts 1:7, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” It is true that Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 24:36, “But concerning the day and the hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” And if these were all the Scriptures we had, we would indeed say the time is unknown. Often they like to say that if Jesus doesn’t know when the Father will send Him for His bride and then to bring His kingdom to earth, how could we? No one knows the day or hour, but the season shouts out to us. The truth is in the very prophecy that is quoted from Matthew 24. Jesus gave two signs that must be being fulfilled before He comes. These two are only true in this generation. He couldn’t have come in any other generation.

The key teachings of Jesus on end times came in the last week of His life before the cross. One day as they were heading back to the other side of Mt. Olives, the disciples noted the beauty of the Temple. Jesus said there is a day coming when not one stone of the Temple will be left on another. The startled disciples then asked Jesus three questions. When will the Temple be destroyed and what are the signs of its destruction? What will be the signs of your coming? What will be the signs of the end of the age? A sign is something your can see but its significance is a heavenly message. Jesus didn’t fault the disciples for asking for signs. He didn’t tell them it was unknowable. He gave observable, measurable events in the natural world which will be signs. He gave the signs of when the Temple would be destroyed: when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies, know that its desolation was near (Luke 21:20). We know in a rebellion against Rome, the gates of Jerusalem were locked from 68-70 AD. Rome lay siege. Jesus told His disciples to flee when they saw this. The sign was to move them to action because they were in danger. Church history indicates many Christians did flee based on the fulfillment of the sign Jesus gave. The sign was not for curiosity. It was designed to move disciples to action. It was fulfilled in 70 AD.

For the questions of Jesus’ return and the end of the age, Jesus gave two signs that are only in this generation being fulfilled. One is given In Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Only when the Gospel is preached to all nations can the end come. The question of unreached people groups took on strategic impact in the late 1980s when an effort was made to identify and then strategically target unreached people. At that time it was estimated that there were over 20,000 unreached people groups. Now there are those who think the number may be 100 or less. The challenge is how to define what is an unreached people group and when it can be considered reached. But it seems this is not measured as a percentage, but rather that there is an indigenous church within the group seeking to evangelize. The prophecy of Jesus was never by numbers or percentage, just that the Gospel was proclaimed to them. The truth is that those who are passionate for Jesus are passionate to proclaim the Gospel and to focus our efforts on unreached people groups. Every nation including the USA has vast numbers of people who need the Gospel. This Gospel work will continue until the Trumpet call and the going home of the church.

The second sign that must be fulfilled before Jesus will come back is the reestablishment among the nations of a Jewish nation of Israel with Jerusalem under its control. Here is how Jesus put the sign in Luke 21:24, “They [the Jewish people] will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” This prophecy is dramatic. Israel had not been a nation since 585 BC when Babylon took away the Jewish captives, destroyed the Temple and city, and left a few poor as caretakers. This prophecy was not even possible to be fulfilled until the miracle of a Jewish nation of Israel was birthed by United Nations mandate in 1948. But it was a war in 1967 that made the prophecy complete. That Israel would be established, right after the effort to eliminate the Jewish people, is a miraculous event that could only be accomplished by the deliberate purpose of God. But the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy was not fulfilled till the Six Day War, June 5-10, 1967. In the war declared to destroy the Jewish nation of Israel, instead Israel triumphed and gained control of the Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza strip, and all of Jerusalem. It was the fulfillment of the second sign. No other generation of the church has seen that sign. Jesus couldn’t have returned for His church before 1967. But since then Jesus could return at any time, it is imminent. It is also a limited time for the generation that sees a reborn Israel with Jerusalem under its authority will also see the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the end of this age and the coming of the Day of the Lord (Luke 21:31-32).

It is always startling to me when people quote Matthew 24:36 where Jesus says, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” They say we must always be ready because it is unknown. How is it that they deliberately ignore the verses that immediately precede it? Jesus says immediately before this verse in Matthew 24:32-35, “From the fig tree learn its lesson; as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Here Jesus is clearly saying that when you see this sign of a reborn Israel having authority over Jerusalem, that generation will see the return of the Lord Jesus and the end of the age. We don’t set dates, the day or hour, but we know it will be in the lifetime of this generation. This generation is also seeing the fulfillment of the Gospel being proclaimed to all nations. It also seems that Jesus emphasized the midnight hour, so it will be late in the time of this generation (Matthew 25:6).

But it is vital to know why Jesus wants us to know we are the last generation. It is not for curiosity. It is not so we pull back as the world heads to judgment. It is because of the great challenge, opportunity and danger there will be before the church. First is the opportunity to complete the mission. The opportunity to be historymakers, the ones who fulfilled the mission to proclaim the Gospel to every nation. This goal takes direct strategic deployment for missions, as the challenge is to focus on unreached people groups. The Bible describes the true end times church to have one message to the world. Here is how it is described in Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the Bride say ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And the let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” They are the ones to whom Jesus promised that He will give them an open door to the nations, and no one will be able to close it (Revelation 3:8). I was at the Global Alliance Conference in South Korea this May. Gathered were over 3,000 pastors from 60 countries. We heard remarkable witnesses as to how powerfully God is working for the Gospel, particularly among unreached nations and peoples. Nations long closed and in the darkness of the 10/40 window are being opened in unprecedented ways. All 3,000 joined in a pledge at the end to finish the mission.

But this focus on fulfilling the mission has faded in countries like the USA. The simple message to the world of “come to Jesus” has been changed by some into political ambitions. A distorted concept of the USA, as if God wanted her to be the great nation. We have seen the church enter into cultural wars in which anger is expressed against people who desperately need Jesus. Many young generation churches seem more consumed with themselves than with reaching a world with the Gospel, particularly unreached people groups. Emphasis on social justice and climate change motivate to action. The recognition of the soon coming of Jesus, that is to compel the church to focus on a single message to the world, “come to Jesus,” is all but silent.

Jesus wants us to know the last generation because it will be in times of this great wickedness that the love of most for Jesus will grow cold. He said of the last days in Matthew 24:12, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” The Apostle Paul prophesied that the last generation would be known by the love of self, the love of money, and the love of pleasure (2 Timothy 3:1-4). He prophesied that many would have the appearance of being spiritual, but they will have no power.

Jesus wants us to know the generation of His return because it will be a generation noted for false teachers and false Messiahs. We have seen a false political messiah in the USA whose followers give more evidence of a cult than a political movement. The mission of the cross has somehow been replaced by the desire of greatness for a nation. Other parts of the church have been lost in a ‘progressive’ ‘deconstruction’ movement that has denied the truth of the Bible, denied the wrath of God, denied that Jesus died in judgment for our sins, and changed views on sexuality and the definition of marriage. The church in so many places has no answers for itself and no answers for the world.

As the Bible describes the sins of the last generation in Revelation 9:20-21, “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshipping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, not did they repent of their murders or their sorceries of their sexual immorality of their thefts.” Idolatry, sanctioned murders (which I understand to be abortions, over 30 million worldwide in the first eight months of 2023), sorceries (drugs made to alter mood), sexual immorality, thefts. We have seen these all marking this generation. But what has appeared in startling numbers in the USA recently is thefts. Something happened in the post-Covid world that has removed all restraints. People shamelessly and unafraid loot stores so that major retailers are facing financial jeopardy. Major cities like San Francisco and Portland are becoming all but uninhabitable. Jesus wanted us to know the last days would be days of violence like the days of Noah.

Jesus wanted us to know we are in the last days because He knew how distracting and fearful it will be to live in these days. Jesus warned of signs of increasing labor pains like a woman in delivery getting close to the time of birth. Who could argue the growing intensity that has marked 2023? Jesus warned of people fainting in terror at the roaring and tossing of the sea as we see mega-storms becoming common (Luke 21:25). We see increasing focus on signs in the heavens as suddenly UFOs become a subject of open discussion (Luke 21:25). We see fires of unimagined severity in Canada, in Europe, in Maui. We see signs of both mega-drought and profound flooding. Yet no one calls on God for mercy. Many blame it on global warming and the abuse of our environment. Others say global warming is a myth, that things are like they have always been, and that global warming is a conspiracy of the left. As Jesus warned even as creation cries out, no one cries to God.

We see enormous movement in the plan to lead Israel to a false peace treaty. We see the development of the Abraham Accords – as if since Judaism, Islam, and Christianity came from Abraham, they are all acceptable ways of faith. Saudi Arabia with the United Arab Emirates are key leaders in this movement. Great pressure even now is upon Israel to come to a peace treaty with the Saudis which includes granting rights to the Palestinians. We see the world, even with significant support in parts of the USA, pressure Israel against its treatment of Palestinians. I have been in Dubai and have seen their passion for a new world order. Their open embrace of the Tower of Babel. We know the new European Union Parliament is made to look like the Tower of Babel. Step by step the prophecies of Jesus and the Bible have all but reached their climax.

Eventually all the teachings of the Bible become personal. Who do you say Jesus is, and do you live in a trusting, obedient relationship to Him? Are you joining in the passionate urgency for the Gospel to all tongues, nations, tribes? Are you watching over your own soul and praying for yourself, fellow believers, and particularly the persecuted church?

If not, this is the day to start.

If you have somehow discovered this blog and we are gone, it is not too late. The Man of Peace and the leader of the false church will lead you into eternal damnation if you give them a chance. But it is not too late for you. Revelation 6-19 have been written in great detail for you. There are some verses just for you. Here are two parts of the message to you:

Revelation 13:5-10 “And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, those who dwell in heaven (The resurrected church). Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name had not been written before the foundation of there world in the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be slain with with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance of the saints.”

Revelation 14:12-13 “Here is a call for endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’”

If you read and want to trust in Jesus, it is not too late. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “For he says, ‘in a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Whoever you are, whatever time it is, make today the day of your salvation! It’s late, but not too late. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is expressed by Jesus in three truths. First is John 3:13, “No on has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” Salvation is possible only in Jesus. No one has made to heaven on their own, salvation is only possible by Jesus, the Son of Man who came down and took on human flesh. Second salvation comes by trusting the work of Jesus on the cross, John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Jesus is the one who was lifted up on the cross to bear the judgment for our sin, and whoever looks to Him by His cross will be saved. Third Jess gives us the action step in John 3:15, “that whoever believes in in him may have eternal life.” To believe in Jesus is to fully trust Him for your salvation and then to follow Him as your Savior, Lord, and Shepherd. Right now put your self by simple trusting prayer into the whoever of verse 15. Call upon Him He wants you.