It was Winston Churchill’s iron will and ability to inspire hope in the dark days of World War II that led his people to victory. But on his deathbed, as he reflected on the state of the world he helped to rescue, he sighed, “There is no hope; there is no hope.” And with that, he died.
Not even the greatest human intellects—people of Churchill’s caliber—have a solution to the human predicament. Humanly speaking, Churchill was right. There is no hope. That is why the solution must come from without. That is why our only hope is Jesus’ promise to return and take His people home. That is why we should hope that Christ’s coming will be soon.
Many people believe that the “signs of the times” indicate Christ’s return in our day. For example, only in the past 100 years have we acquired the ability to destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18). Only recently has it become possible to communicate the gospel to the whole world rapidly, as required before the second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:14).
doubts
But others are not so sure. The “wars and rumors of war” so common in our time, they say, cannot be a sign that Christ’s second coming is near. These things have existed since time began. Strife and distress of nations have always been the rule rather than the exception.
And sure, modern-day morality is pretty bad. And yes, Paul did say in 2 Timothy 3 that people in the last days would be “disobedient to their parents, . . . without love, . . . [and] lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2–4). But they point out that such people existed in Paul’s day as well as our own. As a matter of fact, Paul ended his list of “last-day sins” in 2 Timothy 3 by telling Timothy t “have nothing to do” with such people (verse 5). Obviously, they were Timothy’s contemporaries. The sins of our day, in other words, are nothing new or special.
Some even go so far as to say the “signs of the times” are looking pretty good. Few generations have had it as easy as American baby boomers, after all. Certain plagues, such as smallpox, have been eradicated. Furthermore, the crime rate, suicide rate, divorce rate, and accident rate have actually been on the decline recently.
They conclude that the world is not yet bad enough for Jesus to come, echoing the words of 2 Peter 3:4: “Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” Therefore, they say, things will have to get a lot worse before the end.
danger
I believe this is a very dangerous delusion.
The New Testament repeatedly says that Jesus will come “like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2; see also Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 16:15). What does this mean?
One thing it clearly does not mean is that He will come silently. Second Peter 3:10 echoes Jesus’ words, but notice the entire verse: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (KJV).
That will be the noisiest day of all time!
No, Jesus will not come silently like a thief. Jesus and Peter meant, rather, that He will come unexpectedly like a thief. His coming will be a complete surprise.
The unexpectedness of Christ’s coming has some interesting implications. For one thing, it calls into question the assumption that the world will be in a universal state of chaos and turmoil when Jesus comes.
True, there are passages that indicate a “time of trouble” just before the end. Luke, for example, quoted Jesus as saying that the days leading up to His second coming will be marked by global instability. He said that “on the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity,” and “people will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world” (Luke 21:25, 26).
However, other passages of Scripture indicate that the time of the end will be normal—even humdrum. First Thessalonians 5:2, 3, for instance, says: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (emphasis added).
And then there is Matthew 24:37–42: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch.”
I used to think that this passage was intended to emphasize the wickedness of the world near the end of time. But eating, marrying, farming, and milling are not debauchery; they are the normal routines of life.
Life, in other words, will go on as usual, right up until the unexpected end. While there will be intense persecution in the days leading up to Christ’s second coming, life on the last day of history may look much like it does today. “Therefore keep watch,” concludes Jesus, “because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42).
The folly of relying on prophetic timetables is illustrated by Matthew 17:9–13. Here the disciples ask Jesus how it could be that the Messiah had come when Elijah hadn’t come yet. Every Bible scholar knew Elijah had to return before the Messiah could come—this is clearly stated in Malachi 4:5, 6. Yet here was the Messiah, and Elijah was nowhere to be seen. Jesus’ answer was that Elijah had already come incognito, in the person of John the Baptist.
In other words, Christ came the first time before the biblical scholars of His day expected Him to; Scripture says that He will come the second time “at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:44).
Just as the disciples missed one of the most important signs of Jesus’ first coming, could we have spiritual blinders on too? Perhaps the signs of the times are happening all around us without our realizing what they mean.
don’t despair; there is hope
Some years ago a man who lived on Long Island bought a barometer. When it arrived at his home, he was disappointed to find that the indicator needle appeared to be stuck, pointing to the sector marked Hurricane.
After shaking the barometer vigorously, its new owner wrote a scorching letter to the store from which he had bought it. He posted the letter the following morning from his office in New York.
That evening he returned to Long Island to find not only the barometer missing, but his house as well. The barometer’s needle had been right after all: a hurricane was on the way!
Something far greater than a hurricane is almost upon us. For some it will be the greatest day of their lives; to see the face of the King will be their ultimate joy. But for others, seeing Him will be the ultimate horror, for they want nothing to do with Him.
That is why 2 Peter 3:14 says: “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” And 1 Peter 4:7 adds, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”
The point is that if Christ is coming soon, we have no time to waste. And though we may not be experiencing persecution or global destruction, and even though our prophetic timetables may seem to be unfulfilled, I believe Jesus is coming very soon. The barometers of history are pointing to the end.
Living each day as if He could come today will revolutionize your life. For to all the Winston Churchills of the world, the good news is: “Don’t despair. There is hope! Jesus is coming soon.”
