Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also."¹

When one of my nephews was only five he heard me talking about Christmas being the time when we celebrate Jesus Christ's coming to earth. He wanted to know if Jesus would come back to earth again.

Jesus Christ's first coming at Christmas nearly 2,000 years ago is a fact of history. He is as real a person as was Julius Caesar. In fact, the Encyclopedia Britannica gives more space to the life of Jesus than it does to many of the world's great leaders combined. The secular historian, Josephus, who lived in and wrote about civilization in Bible times, also verifies the historical Jesus.

But one question people have been asking ever since the time of Christ—and perhaps even more so in these days of ever-increasing terrorism, wars, and threats of wars—is the same one my nephew asked: "Will Jesus come back to earth again?"

The only reliable source for an answer to that question is in God's Word, the Bible, which in the words of Herbert Lockyer, Sr., gives us The Promise, The Proof, The Plan of, and The Preparation for Christ's Return.

First, The Promise of Christ's Return: Actually, every prophet in the Old Testament part of the Bible, except Jonah, promises or makes reference to the end of this world age (as we know it), the beginning of which will be marked by the second coming of Jesus.

Jesus himself promised he would return. His disciples were troubled when he told them that he would soon be leaving them, so he assured them with, "There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." ²

When Jesus left earth, two angels gave the same promise. Imagine the surprise of Christ's disciples on the day he returned to heaven and two angels appeared saying: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here 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."³

And almost every writer in the New Testament repeats the promise. According to one Bible scholar there are 308 references to Christ's second coming in the New Testament alone. This promise pulsates throughout the entire Scriptures, right through to the last page and the last word. "Yes, I am coming soon," Jesus said.⁴

To be continued...

To be sure you are ready for Christ's return click on the link to "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You not only that Jesus came the first time some 2,000 years ago to die on the cross to pay the just penalty for all my sins, but also for the promise that Jesus will come again to take to Heaven all those who believe in Him, and have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. Thank You for this wonderful hope. Thank You, too, for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. John 14:1-3 (NKJV).
2. John 14:2-3 (NLT).
3. Acts 1:11 (NIV).
4. Revelation 22:20 (NIV).

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