WHAT IF CHRIST RETURNS TOMORROW?

Are we watching the calendar—or doing the work He gave us?

Suppose someone told you that Christ would return tomorrow.

Would you believe them?

Would you cancel your plans? Call your family? Give away your possessions? Spend the night watching the news from Jerusalem?

Or would you remember how many times people have announced a date for Christ's return—and how many of those dates have passed?

There is a better question.

If Christ returned tomorrow, what would He find us doing today?

That is not a question about calculating prophecy. It is a question about following Jesus.

1. We have heard the dates before

For generations, people have studied Daniel, Revelation, and the words of Jesus and concluded that they had discovered when Christ would return.

Some predicted the end of the world. Others announced the date of the rapture. Still others pointed to events in Jerusalem as evidence that the end was only days away.

The predicted dates came and went. Christ did not return as they had announced.

Yet the predictions continue. Each new generation hears that this time the signs are different, the calculations are correct, and the end is just around the corner.

Perhaps someone will eventually announce a date that happens to coincide with Christ's return. But that would not mean Scripture had authorized the calculation.

The question is not whether Christ will return. He has promised that He will. The question is whether He has told us to calculate the date—or did He emphasize the fact that we are to be ready whenever He comes.

Some point to events in Israel. Others use numbers from Daniel or Revelation. Still others connect wars, natural disasters, or new technologies with the end of the world.

The details change, but the message is familiar:

This time, we have figured it out.

We need not question the sincerity of everyone who has made such a prediction. But sincerity does not make a calculation correct.

What should we learn from this history?

Not that Christ will never return.

Not that biblical prophecy is unimportant.

We should learn to distinguish what Scripture promises from what someone claims to have calculated.

2. What about the latest signs?

We have heard about wars, earthquakes, developments in Israel, plans for a new temple, and the opening of Jerusalem's eastern gate.

Each new report can be presented as the final piece of a prophetic puzzle.

But before accepting such a claim, we need to ask a question we should always ask when studying Scripture:

Where does the passage actually say that this event must happen before Christ returns?

A news report may describe a real event. That does not, by itself, establish that the event fulfills a particular prophecy.

We must first read the biblical passage.

Who was speaking? To whom? What question was being answered? What did the words mean in their original setting?

We should not begin with today's headlines and then search the Bible for something that sounds similar.

And we should not make our readiness depend on whether another prediction about Jerusalem proves correct.

Jesus has already told us how to live while we wait.

3. Jesus did not give His disciples a date

Read Mark 13:32–37.

Jesus says that no one knows the day or hour. He then tells His disciples to watch because they do not know when the master of the house will return.

Notice what He does not say.

He does not tell them to calculate the date from a series of future events.

He tells them to remain watchful.

In Acts 1:6–8, the apostles ask Jesus whether He is about to restore the kingdom to Israel.

Jesus answers that the times and seasons are under the Father's authority. Then He tells them what they are to do: receive power from the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses, beginning in Jerusalem and reaching to the end of the earth.

They ask about the timing.

Jesus directs them to their assignment.

We should pay attention to that answer.

The apostles were not told to wait for a timetable before beginning their work. They were sent to tell the world about Christ.

4. What does it mean to be ready?

Read Matthew 24:45–51.

Jesus describes a servant whose master has gone away. The servant has been entrusted with the care of the household.

What makes him a faithful servant?

He continues doing the work his master gave him.

Jesus says:

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” —Matthew 24:46, KJV

Now consider the other servant.

He begins to think that his master will be gone a long time. He mistreats his fellow servants and lives as though he will never have to answer for his conduct.

The problem is not that he failed to calculate the date of his master's return.

The problem is that he stopped living as a faithful servant.

That is the warning Jesus gives us.

Being ready is not knowing when the Master will return. It is being faithful when He does.

5. What should He find us doing?

The New Testament gives us plenty to do without adding another prophetic countdown.

Jesus tells His disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20).

He teaches us to love one another (John 13:34–35).

He calls us to care for people in need (Matthew 25:31–46).

Paul tells Christians to encourage one another with the hope of Christ's return (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).

And after speaking about the coming day of the Lord, Paul tells them to remain awake and sober, to encourage one another, and to build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:1–11).

These are not emergency instructions to begin following when someone announces a date.

They are instructions for Christian life today.

We can study prophecy carefully and still spend our days doing what Christ has commanded.

In fact, our expectation of His return should give greater purpose to the work before us—not distract us from it.

6. Suppose Christ returns tomorrow

Let's make the question personal.

Is there someone you need to forgive?

Someone you have neglected?

Someone who needs food, help, encouragement, or a visit?

Someone who has never heard the good news about Jesus?

Is there something Christ has told you to do that you keep putting off?

If we knew He would return tomorrow, perhaps we would decide that these things could not wait.

But why should they wait now?

We do not need a date to know that our time is limited. And we do not need to settle every question about prophecy before we begin obeying Christ.

The faithful servant did not know when his master would return.

He simply kept doing the work entrusted to him.

7. While we wait, there is work to do

Christ's command to take the gospel into the world has not expired.

Around the world, people are teaching Scripture, helping families, caring for children, and supporting communities in need. There are opportunities to encourage and participate in that work now—not after the next predicted date.

One example is Jochebed's Hope, which supports educational, humanitarian, and church-related work in Indonesia. Readers who would like to learn about its work and ways to participate can visit jochebedshope.org .

Jochebed's Hope

The point is not that everyone must support the same organization or serve in the same way.

It is that every Christian has opportunities to be faithful with what the Lord has entrusted to them.

8. When the Master returns

One day, Christ will return.

We do not know the date.

Until then, we can continue to examine Scripture, encourage one another, and live in the hope of His coming.

But we need not spend our lives chasing the next prediction.

There are people to love.

There are needs to meet.

There is a gospel to share.

There is a Lord to follow.

And when He returns, may He find us doing the work He gave us.

Don't wait for a date to begin living as though Christ is coming.

Be ready today.