What If Jesus Returned Today?

It is a fact. The day will come. It has been predicted and pronounced, a day like no other. It is the great and glorious day of the LORD of hosts, the God of the angel armies. Get ready for the celebrated return of Jesus Christ. What will it be like? Let’s look at it from the vantage point of someone who is alive whenever Jesus returns, when He comes to snatch His children away.

You began the day like every other. This day will arrive like a thief arrives, in the twinkling of an eye, unannounced, and unexpected. Suddenly, life will change. But do not be afraid. 

Jesus Himself, the Eternal Word, will announce His arrival with a loud voice. The Bible says that His voice is like the sound of many waters. If you have ever seen Niagara Falls, undoubtedly you were amazed at one of nature’s greatest exhibitions of sheer power. Also you would have heard the deafening sound of a mighty torrent, cascading down the falls, churning the river below into a gush of froth and mist. 

The Eternal Word’s voice will once again be heard on our planet. It will muffle and drown out the sound of Niagara Falls for any bystanders who might be present. The last words spoken from the cross were, “It is finished.” Perhaps this time Jesus will say, “It has begun.”

Michael, the archangel of glory, will announce the Lord’s arrival as well. Gabriel will blow his trumpet. The laws that govern the physical universe will kneel in submission before the returning Messiah. The fabric of space and time will crack open as if some cosmic quake were triggered by the release of suppressed force.

The earth has never witnessed another dimension colliding with Nature. Scientists will stand amazed. News reporters will drop their cameras in shock. Pilots will contact air traffic controllers declaring an emergency. Construction workers, commuters, farmers, and housewives will stop their activity and look to the sky. For the first time in human history, every eyeball on the planet will be fixed on the same sight. 

He will appear in plain view of every person on the planet. Don’t think it can’t be done. People have tried to figure out how God will do this. They have assumed that TV, the Internet, and other forms of media will broadcast His appearing. But, God is no slave to technology. When the door of eternity is opened, it will not matter what side of the planet you are on. All creation will stand at attention. The sight of the returning King of glory will entrance every creature from the bottom of the ocean to the highest mountain.

Jesus brings with Him the multitude of believers who have already passed into glory.  There will be a rumbling in the belly of the earth. But do not be confused. The tectonic plates are not shifting. No! The graves are opening. The body of every dead saint will be resurrected. Their new bodies will rise into the sky to join their spirits, which have been in the presence of the Lord since departing this earth.

You will be next. I’ve tried to imagine what the experience will be like. Up till this point in your life, gravity has held your feet firmly on the ground. But just as the wind and the waves obeyed the voice of Jesus during His earthly ministry, gravity will do the same. It will release you. There will be a certain levity that will lay hold of your physical body.

As you ascend, perhaps you will look down at all that you leave behind. Your house with all of its contents, your car, job, wardrobe, bank accounts, retirement plans, insurance policy, golf clubs, fishing poles, hunting rifles, and toys will still be in the firm grip of gravity. You, however, will watch them fade away as you rise to meet Jesus in glory.

Hopefully, you will have laid up treasure in heaven for this day. If so, there will be no sense of loss over what you cannot take with you. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Your heart always follows your treasure. When all that you love is in heaven, the love that will lay hold of you in eternity will be enormous.

As the world fades away into an indistinct blur, your heart will dance with excitement.  You are about to stand in the company of Jesus Christ. You have been resurrected with the scores of saints that have waited for His coming. Welcome to the first day of eternity. No reunion or homecoming in the past compares to the celebration that is about to unfold.  

Since we don’t know when this will occur, we are to live each day as if this one is the last. It helps us keep our focus. We are less likely to hold onto grudges and bitterness, if we keep our eternal perspective in place. We fear less, worry less, and carry less baggage. As we are waiting, we are ready at a moment’s notice to let go of our pilgrim status, and begin our lives as citizens of an eternal home.

In fact, we don’t know if God is planning for this glorious event to happen in the next few seconds. Right now God could be saying to His Son, “Go get your children! Your bride is ready. Send word to Gabriel to make his trumpet ready. Michael, prepare your voice to announce the coming of the Lamb of God. Send word to the livery stable. The Messiah will mount His steed. He is about to make His grand entrance onto the platform of the four corners of the earth. Saddle the Messiah’s white stallion. He will ride. All nations of the earth will see Him coming on the clouds of heaven.”

The first time He came, men scoffed as He spoke. They beat His brow and hammered Him with their fists. They spat upon His beard and mocked Him. They bruised and scarred Him, crucified, and buried Him. On this day no one will be spitting on, mocking, or scoffing the Son of God. When the reigning King of glory returns, strong men will weep and curse their unbelief. They will cry out for the rocks to fall upon them. But be sure of this, every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. Jesus Christ is Lord.

Even so, Lord, come. AMEN!