There is a lot of talk these days about the coming of Christ. True, there has always been the Bible scholar/student who has made prophecy study his/her forte’ or focus. But with the current crisis involving Israel and Hamas, the interest has been taken up a notch. Even those who just read the Bible or don’t even know the Bible-and even those who have been skeptics-are curious. Is this the end times? Is this the sign of the times?

Well, there certainly is no shortage of those wondering. And there certainly is no shortage of those who will answer in the affirmative. And there is also no shortage of those who will be yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Sadly, there will also be those hucksters who will crawl out of their rat hole to exploit people for their own gain.

People ask me what I think. “Pastor Bill, is this the end times? Could this be the last days when Jesus will return? Or is there more to come and more to wait for?” My answer? Yes. Possibly. I don’t know. Why the lack of conviction? Because no one truly knows. 

Here is what I do know: 1) Jesus said He will return. I believe that. 2) Jesus Himself did not know when. I believe that also. 3) If Jesus promised it, and if Jesus did not know when, how in the world am I supposed to know?  Spoiler alert: I am of the persuasion that we have been in the last days since the beginning of the church in Acts 2. I’ll let it lay there. I personally believe it is much more important to have an intimate relationship with Jesus and be ready when He does come, than to worry about dates, times, signs or anything else we have no clue about or allow to occupy our time.

Jesus came the first time at the appointed hour, and He will come the second time at the appointed hour.  Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons.”  Do you see those words “but when the fullness of time had come”? That says it all.  I’ll stand with that. His second coming will be the same way-“at just the right time.” Not before. Not after. And no amount of my sign-watching or date-scheming will change that.

Is Jesus coming back? Without a doubt. Does anyone know? Yes and no. No one knows when (if they say they do or set a date run as far away from them as you can).  But I do believe He will come back. I just don’t know when. No one does.

Oh…except the Father. And if Jesus says He doesn’t know, only the Father does, that is good enough for me.  Let’s stop looking for signs and start living a life of holiness as we wait.