Back to: The End Times
When Is Jesus Coming Back?
The Watch
After Jesus rose from the dead and concealed His identity, He confronted some who doubted and were confused. The Jews wondered why the Messiah, whom they trusted in to redeem Israel, was crucified and buried. He goes on and explains where they greatly erred. Notice where Jesus points out their error in the following verses:
(Luke 24:25-27), Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Their main problem was they did not have faith in the prophecies of the Word of God that foretold of His coming and what He had to go through to bring salvation to mankind. As a result of their lack of knowledge and belief in prophecy they became confused, worried, and greatly lacked comfort and trust in this important time of need.
Even today this is still the case. People are confused, worried and lack comfort because it has been approximately 2,000 years since Jesus promised He would return and save the world from all its trouble. Some who even once believed, have turned away in anger and bitterness. The main problem they have is the same as those who were there at His first coming. They lack the knowledge and belief of the prophecies concerning the second coming of Christ. With this in mind let us now go through the prophecies concerning the time when He will return. Notice how in the KJV translation, it uses the word “watch” (a small block of time a person is vigilantly on guard);
(Matthew 24:42-44 KJV), Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
People have claimed that no one can know when Jesus will return. The Bible, God’s Word, tells us that even though we don’t know the “hour” when He will come (see Matthew 24:36), we should know what “watch” it will be, (in other words, the “approximate” time we should be most vigilant).
Throughout God’s Word, there seems to be a very strong indication of when that “watch” will be. Let us begin by going back to the very beginning.
(Genesis 2:1-3), Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
From the very beginning, the 7th day has become associated with God giving “rest” to His creation.
In the Book of Hebrews, the 7th day of the week foreshadows a rest that God offers His children.
(Hebrews 4:1-5) Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.
God’s Word goes on to foretell that when Jesus comes the second time, the world will enter into a heavenly peace and rest.
(Isaiah 2:2-4), Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
(Isaiah 65:25), The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the Lord.
It is also worth noting that the book of Revelation, which is devoted to teaching us when Jesus will return, is saturated with the number “7”.
Now keeping in mind that it is a very strong possibility that God’s Word is showing us approximately when Jesus will return (during the “watch” on the “7th day”), let us now take a close look at this prophecy.
(2 Peter 3:3-4), knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.
Notice the context is talking about the time when Christ will return. The text goes on to say;
(2 Peter 3:8-10), But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
What is interesting about all this is, from the time of Adam up to the time of Jesus is about 4000 years (4 “days”). From the time of Jesus to today is about 2000 years (2 “days”). Four days plus two days equals six days. It seems we are very close to the beginning of the 7th day.
1st Day 2nd Day 3rd Day 4th Day 5th Day 6th Day 7th Day (rest)
| 1000 yrs | 1000 yrs | 1000 yrs | 1000 yrs |✝| 1000 yrs | 1000 yrs | 1000 yrs _|
|——————– 4000 yrs BC (4 Days) ——————| |—2000 yrs AD (2 Days)—-| 2nd Coming |
Let us now go to a prophecy concerning the time of Christ’s return in the Book of Hosea keeping in mind that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and let’s insert a plausible interpretation marked in (italic).
(Hosea 5:15); I (Jesus) will go and return to my place (ascend back to Heaven), till they (Israel) acknowledge their offence (rejecting Jesus as Messiah and having Him crucified), and seek my face (accept Him as Savior and Messiah); in their affliction (during the last days) they will seek me early.
Notice that word “till”. This implies a time when Jesus is going to come back. He is coming back when Israel as a nation receives Him as Messiah and Savior as prophesied in their Old Testament Scriptures.
Then in the next two verses God’s Word tells us when this is going to happen. Let’s again insert a plausible interpretation marked in (gray italic);
(Hosea 6:1-2), Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days (two thousand years from his ascension back to Heaven) will he revive us: in the third day (the beginning of the seventh day) he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight (we will be brought to Him, when He returns).
Christ will return approximately 2,000 years from when He came the first time, rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven. We are about to enter that 7th day.
Additionally, notice that God sees people in three primary groups;
(1 Corinthians 10:32), Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
- Days 1 & 2: Primary focus on “The Gentiles” – about 2000 years in (Genesis 1 to11)
- Days 3 & 4: Primary focus on “The Jews” – about 2000 years in (Genesis 11 to Acts 8}
- Days 5 & 6: Primary focus on “The Church” – about 2000 years in (Acts 8 through today)
- Day 7 – The 2nd Coming of Christ begins with a 1000-year reign, then continues beyond
HE’S COMING BACK MUCH SOONER THAN MOST THINK!!!
(Matthew 24:43 KJV) “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.”