The Time of Jesus’ Return

By Julio Cesar Prado

The pleasures of the world have blinded the eyes of most people, making it impossible for them to perceive life as it really is. They rely on illusions to sustain them. They enjoy sinful pleasures, are slaves of passion, get everything they want, follow all the fads, frequent the bars in their cities, watch the best night programs, and have as much fun as possible. Many teenagers are attracted to partying and entertainment where they are encouraged to use alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and “hang out”, with a strong sensual and sexual appeal, and there are also offers of drugs and other attractions for personal and momentary satisfaction.

The Christian who awaits the return of Jesus should never watch or get involved with the things of the world. Are these real joys? Do they fully satisfy our hearts? We are living in the last days of this world’s history. But humanity does not realize that the recent pandemic that has devastated the planet with thousands of deaths and the war between Russia and Ukraine are signs of Jesus’ return.

Biblical history shows that one day the door to Noah’s Ark was closed and the world was destroyed by a universal flood. Sodom and Gomorrah abused divine mercy and were burned. Today, the Door of Divine Grace is still open, and Jesus continues to invite: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17).

Unfortunately, most do not have spiritual discernment and will not even notice when the rain of the Spirit is being poured. It was like this in the days of Noah: “Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:38–39). Jesus does not say that the Antediluvians did not see Noah entering the ark. He said they did not know. “Perceiving” is much more than seeing. You may be walking down a lonely street and see one person standing on the corner and another walking towards you. You saw it, but you didn’t realize it was a robbery. The overwhelming majority of Christians do not perceive the signs of the times.

The return of Jesus is the central theme of the apocalypse, and Matthew chapter 24 is the apocalypse within the gospel. The Lord Jesus issued an urgent warning: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only my Father” (Matthew 24:36). Many have used this verse as an excuse to avoid preaching about Jesus’ impending return because no one can predict the exact day or hour. However, the context of Matthew 24 is Jesus’ second coming and the signs leading to it. So it is possible to recognize the signs that indicate the Second Advent. Jesus, however, warned against the temptation to set dates for His coming.

The disciples had asked the question, “What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the world?” Jesus gave them signs and said, “When you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors” (Matthew 24:3, 33). It must not be admitted that one declaration of the Lord nullifies another. While no one is aware of the exact day or time of His return, we are informed of His proximity and are obligated to be aware of it. Furthermore, we are taught that disobeying the warning or refusing to recognize the approaching arrival of the Saviour will be just as fatal to us as it was to those who lived in the days of Noah and were unaware of the impending flood.

Noah knew the time of the Flood because God warned him: “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days will be one hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3). After 120 years of preaching and building the ark, it was finally ready. Noah knew that the time of the Flood had arrived; however, he still did not know the day or the hour. God then had the animals come out of the forest two by two, and in an orderly fashion, they began to enter the ark (Genesis 6:19–20; 7:2–3). This was an indisputable sign that the time of the Flood had arrived; however, Noah still did not know the day or the hour.

God then ordered Noah to enter the ark with his family (Genesis 7:1), and the door was closed, but he still did not know the day and time of the Flood. The most important thing was not knowing the day or hour but the time of the flood, and that he knew. Finally, God revealed the day of the Flood: “For after seven days I will rain on the earth forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7:4). God told Noah that the flood would come in 7 days and that it would rain for 40 days.

People often mention that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2), implying that it is impossible to know the time of Jesus’ return, but the apostle Paul says that Jesus’ coming will be like a thief in the night for the children of darkness, not for the children of light. He says to those who heed the Saviour’s warning: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5).

The Scriptures offer no assurance to men who remain ignorant of the nearness of Christ’s coming. Those, however, who only want an excuse for rejecting the truth, close their ears to this explanation, and the words, “But of that day and hour no one knows,” continue to be repeated by bold scoffers and even by professed preachers of Christ.

It is vital to know the time of Jesus’ second coming. Many live unaware of the times and seasons, walking around the Earth, but this planet is not a safe place to walk; it is a battlefield between Prince Michael and the prince of darkness. As children of God, we understand that every day there is a heaven to win and a hell to avoid. Today we have seen with our own eyes how a destructive virus has destroyed lives, driving the world into despair. Humanity does not realize that this recent pandemic that claimed thousands of lives is a sign of the return of Jesus. God allows catastrophes, wars, and diseases to occur on earth to show that the end is near.

We are living in the end times. The motto of modern society is: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32). Gluttony is the sin of the century, and associated with it is the perversion of sex. Marriage has been desecrated; promiscuity and homosexuality propagate and gain ground in modern culture. Declaring yourself gay seems to be the most normal thing in the world today. Jesus prophesied of world conditions in the last days: “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28–30).

The modern equivalent of Sodom and Gomorrah is promiscuity. Our corrupt generation’s sinful celebrations go far beyond that orgy night in Babylon; they even incorporate biblical themes into their festivities. Today’s youth believe in illusions and are unable to distinguish between the sacred and the profane. Soon the Supreme Judge will say, “Enough is enough, time has passed, and the end is here!”