Coming Again

“And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.’"—Acts 1:9-11

Later this week, I will be uniting a young couple in holy matrimony. Both are eagerly anticipating the wedding day, that day that once seemed so far away, but is now only days away. They can’t wait to be married and begin to live the rest of their lives together.

As they long for the day when they will be united, we too long for the day when we will be with the Lord forever. Either we will die and go and be with Him, or we will be alive when He comes again.

The blessed hope of every Christian is Jesus’ second coming. After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to Peter, then to the remaining twelve disciples, then to more than five hundred brothers at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). He ate food (John 21:9-14), was touched (John 20:17, 27), walked and talked (Luke 24:15), breathed on His disciples (John 20:22), and blessed bread (Luke 24:30). He was completely transformed, although not yet glorified (John 20:17). His body was restored from the beatings He had received, although the marks from His crucifixion remained (John 20:27). Although He was restored, He was different. He could transport from one place to another (John 20:19; Luke 24:31) and was not susceptible to the normal laws of physics (John 20:19). He stayed on earth for forty days, appearing to several of His disciples and speaking to them about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Then He ascended into heaven as they all watched. As He did, two angels appeared in white robes, questioning the disciples about why they were gazing into the sky, because one day Jesus was going to return in the same way He left.

The timing of the second coming of Christ can’t be predicted (Matthew 24:36) and will occur at a time no one expects (Matthew 24:44; 2 Peter 3:10), like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10), personally and bodily (John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), and visible to the entire world (Revelation 1:7). We are to be hopeful for this day because it will be the time when we will be with God, all wrongs will be righted, and everything that we have longed for, prayed for, and hoped for will come to fruition. We are to live in eager expectation of that day, knowing that it will be greater and more glorious than a wedding day. A wedding day is a glimpse into what it will be like to spend eternity with God. It will be a glorious day of celebration when our earthly bodies will be transformed to be like Christ’s, sin will be eradicated, and we will live in complete harmony with God and one another in everlasting delight. Amen.