Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Matthew 24

We must be vigilant to stay alert for Christ's return, and remember that when He does return it will be recognizable by everyone. It will not be a secret. It will happen suddenly and unexpectedly, but it will not be something that is secret. Christ warns us that things will get much worse before they get any better and that in the midst of that calamity He will return. He also warns us to guard against those that would suggest that they know the day or time of Christ's return.

I wonder if, even with this description, we really understand the true nature of Christ's return. The coming of the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament and yet the religious leaders that had devoted their entire lives to searching for the Messiah did not recognize Him. I wonder if it will be similar for us. We've convinced ourselves that we are so certain of what it will be like. Books have even been written describing the events in fictional detail. But what if His second coming is like His first.

Not that he would come the second time as a baby and somewhat in secret. He's already said that that wouldn't happen, but what if it's similar in the sense that it's not in the way that we are picturing. Has our perspective, like that of the Jews, become distorted as a result of the circumstances of the world in which we live? Would we recognize it if we had the same problems as the Pharisees of Jesus' time?

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