I have been posting about the return of Christ. We saw the warning He gave to His disciples that He would not return in their lifetime.
Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.”
Luke 17:22-24
He had to tell them the truth. They weren’t going to see the days of the Son of Man. Now that’s a term we need to understand. He had never yet used that term with His disciples before that day.
The days of the Son of Man. What does the Lord mean by that? We’d better find out. Let’s look carefully at the words of the Lord as He explains it to His disciples.
Even though this was for the disciple’s benefit we must not miss the very important statement that Jesus made. He talked about the days of the Son of Man culminating in His day. Notice that He says in verse 24, “For the Son of Man in his day…” – singular.
The word day means one literal twenty-four hour day. So what we see are “the days of the Son of Man” leading up to “the day of the Son of Man.” Thankfully He’s not finished with His explanation.
“But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
Luke 17:25
Here Jesus explains to them what He’s going to do. He still hadn’t died yet and the disciples needed to prepare themselves for the shock of seeing their Messiah hung upon a cross. Unfortunately, the disciples never really heard what Jesus said, and ultimately were taken by surprise by the death of the Lord.
We are now going to look at verse 26. Please read it carefully because a lot of people use these comparisons out of context and twist them all around to mean something other than what’s written.
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Luke 17:26-27
Notice that Jesus again uses the phrase “the days of the Son of Man.” It will be just like in “the days of Noah.” Notice “the days of the Son of Man” culminates in “the day of the Son of Man.” Compare that to “the days of Noah” culminating in “the day Noah entered the ark.” It was on that day that the flood came and destroyed them all.
This is important, and I will talk about it in detail in my next post.
Question: Do you see the importance of the particular words Jesus used to teach His disciples? Why are they so important?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: cross, day of the Lord, days of the son of man, last days, Lord's return, return of Christ, second coming
In my last post we saw Jesus answering the Pharisees’ question about the kingdom of God. When they leave, the Lord turns to His disciples and starts teaching them about the last days.
Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.”
Luke 17:22
Jesus begins to tell them what the Pharisees were really asking about. He told them that they would not see one of the days of the Son of Man. It turns out that there’s a special reason why He gave this teaching to His disciples. He needed to warn them that none of the disciples would be alive when Jesus Christ was to return.
“Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.”
Luke 17:23-24
The Lord knew that as soon as He died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, there were going to be people who claimed to be the Messiah. There would be those who proclaimed, “Jesus has returned, He’s back again”.
After all, even when Jesus was ministering, the people thought He was the return of Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. He knew that there would always be those who claimed to be a new incarnation of the Christ. In this teaching, the Lord wanted to nip that heresy in the bud.
He told His disciples clearly that if anybody said that the Lord had returned, they would automatically know it was a lie. They wouldn’t have to check it out. They wouldn’t have to verify it. He was saying, “Know for sure that I will not come back in your lifetime.”
This verse then was specifically for the disciples. As it turned out, they were very glad that the Lord gave them this wisdom. Following the ascension of Christ, there were plenty of false Messiahs that came along. The disciples were fortunate in knowing that they didn’t have to worry about whether they were the real thing or not.
Even Paul ran into this problem. He had to write to the Thessalonian church dealing with this issue. They were all upset because somebody told them Jesus had already returned and they had missed it. Paul had to tell them, “No, it hasn’t happened yet.” He didn’t have to go find out. He didn’t have to call up anybody or check it out. He knew with a certainty that Christ had not yet returned.
As a matter of fact, Jesus said, “When I come, it’s not going to be in secret. It will be like lightning flashing from one end of the heavens to the other. Everybody is going to see Me.”
I believe that we are the generation that will see His return.
Question: Are you ready and looking forward to the day Christ will appear?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, Christ return in our lifetime, days of the son of man, disciples, every eye will see him, Jesus, lightning, private return, return of Christ, second coming
There are some things about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ that I think we’ve lost sight of. I want to take a few posts to take a detailed look at the Gospel of Luke, chapter 17. There are some very surprising things that Jesus said in that text. But first, He had to correct the Pharisees’ view of the kingdom.
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17:20-21
The Pharisees were always looking for an occasion to accuse Jesus. They wanted to find something against Him. So they came up with this question. When is the kingdom coming? They knew that the Messiah was supposed to establish the kingdom. So they decided to see how smart He was.
Please understand what these men were doing. They didn’t want to believe in Him. They weren’t looking for the arrival of the kingdom of God. They were just looking for a chance to test the Lord and to trick Him into saying something that would open Him up to some accusation.
How does Jesus respond to their question? In dealing with these men, He turns the tables on them and gives them an answer that refers to the spiritual kingdom instead of the physical. The Lord’s exhortation to them is that you will not find it by careful observation.
They first needed to understand what “kingdom” means. A kingdom can be any place. A king-dom is the domain, or place of dominion of a king. It’s any place or person over which the King has authority.
So, if the King of kings has authority in your heart, that’s where the kingdom of God is. Wherever the King has authority to rule is where the kingdom has been established. The kingdom of God could be among you or in you. It all depends upon whether or not you have received the King.
If you’re submitted to the King, you’re a part of the kingdom. If you’re not submitted to the King, then you are not in the kingdom and the kingdom is not in you. Instead, you will find that the kingdom of God is among you, just like in the parable of the weeds and the wheat (Matthew 13:36-43).
The wheat is a part of the kingdom, the weeds aren’t. Jesus was explaining the same concept to these Pharisees. He gives them the spiritual truth even though it wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They were asking Him for the physical manifestation of the kingdom.
The same applies to us today. Many believers want to receive the blessings of the kingdom without submitting to the King. We need to learn that you can’t have one without the other.
Question: What does it mean to be submitted to Christ as King?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: among you, arrival, Christ, domain, dominion, establish, God, in you, Jesus, king, King of Kings, kingdom, kingdom of God, Luke, Pharisees, second coming, submission, submit, understanding the kingdom of God
If you’re like me, then you can see by world events that the return of Christ is quickly approaching. What does it take to be ready for that great day? Some believers give the impression that it’s enough to simply sit back and wait for His coming. It’s important to know what Jesus said about it.
At one point in His ministry, Jesus was invited to a Pharisee’s house for dinner. He gave many important teachings there. But for the purposes of this post I will only look at one of them.
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:12-14
Sometime during this get together, the Lord turned to the Pharisee and talked about his motivation for throwing a party. A party might be given to impress people and increase your standing in the community so that you’ll be invited to bigger and better parties later on.
According to Christ, if that’s your motivation, then you’ll have no future reward. Jesus advises us to lay up treasure in Heaven. We do so by showing kindness and inviting those who cannot repay us.
Jesus makes it clear that at the resurrection of the righteous there’s going to be rewards. He’s just as clear that our rewards will be based upon our obedience.
Knowing this, we should be constantly aware of our calling. Our desire should be to please the King and to be found faithful at His return. Who are you trying to please? Are you trying to impress the world with your greatness? It’s time for us to wake up and become “God pleasers” instead of “man pleasers.” This is how we prepare for the Lord’s return.
Being prepared doesn’t mean sitting around watching the sky and waiting. It’s all about doing the Master’s business. Is God’s call on our lives important enough for us to seek it out? Once we do, are we faithful enough to complete our assignment? These are the kinds of questions we must ask if we’re to be truly ready for the Lord’s return.
Be prepared. Be faithful. Be found working at your assignment when the Master arrives. You’ll never regret it.
Question: How prepared for the Lord’s return is the church in general right now?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, faithful, faithfulness, future reward, get ready, God-pleaser, Jesus, man pleaser, motivation, obedience, ready, ready for the Lor'd return, return of Christ, return of the Lord, second coming, treasure in Heaven, world events
Jesus made some surprising statements about His return. Don’t be one of those who are unprepared for what will happen before His return.
“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Luke 12:38-40
The Lord says that His return will come when you don’t expect it. Notice that it will not be a surprise because He comes before you expect Him. What is going to throw people off is that He will arrive later than they thought it would be.
The second watch of the night is from 9 o’clock to midnight. The third watch is from midnight to 3 in the morning.
What if I said to you, “Can I come over your house tonight?”
“Sure,” you reply and you wait for me to show up. 7 o’clock, 8 o’clock and 9 o’clock go by. At that point you’ll probably shut the porch light off. At 11 o’clock you will probably be in bed. If I then bang on your door at 3 o’clock in the morning, I’m sure you wouldn’t even get out of bed to answer the door, even though I told you I was coming.
That’s what Jesus is saying. He’s telling us that He’s coming later than we think. Most people would think that if you’re going to come for dinner you should arrive early.
Naturally, we think “suppertime.” But Jesus is asking how long after the suppertime is past are we prepared to wait? There will be a time when people start thinking that Jesus should be here by now, but He’s not. It’s midnight. A lot of people have these religious clocks that are set at five minutes to midnight. They think that the Lord is coming soon – at midnight.
I’ve got news for you. The Bible says He might come as late as 3 in the morning, spiritually speaking. There are many Bible teachers who have taken certain future prophetic events and defined them as occurring “after midnight.”
Someday the “prophecy clock” will strike midnight. If you’re one of the people who believe that He’s going to be here at this prophetic midnight, you might be disappointed. We’ve got to be careful. Most of Christianity is expecting Him to come at this midnight hour.
Jesus said, “I’m going to come later than you think.” As a matter of fact, what you’re going to find as we go through these Scriptures, is that whenever Christ warns us about being ready, He always qualifies it by saying that He will come later than we’re expecting.
Question: How far are you prepared to go if Christ delays His second coming?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: are you ready for Christ's return, be prepared, Christ's return, coming soon, expect, expecting, later than you think, midnight, prophecy, rapture, ready, return of Christ, return of Jesus, second coming, second watch, surprise, third watch
I’m continuing my posts on John chapter 6. So far I’ve covered through verse 44. If you read through the rest of this chapter, you’ll find that Jesus continues talking about eternal life. He explains that you must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood to have eternal life.
I’m not going to go through the whole doctrine of the sufficiency of the body and blood of the Lord, given for us. That would take a year’s worth of posts! Suffice it to say that the Lord tried to tell them, “I’m the One who gives eternal life and I will raise you up (or literally wake you up) at the last day.”
Please take the time to understand this. Jesus’ audience refused to hear it. Even today many Christians have missed this simple truth.
He gives the disciples and us a term we must understand: “the last day.” The word day in this Scripture is a literal, 24-hour day. The word is singular. Jesus said that if you put your trust in Him, He would raise you up at the last day. What exactly is the last day?
I believe that Jesus built the disciples’ faith step by step. The disciples were taught by the Lord that there was a time period called this age. They also knew that the Lord intended to do some cleaning up of the world toward the end of this age, just before He called His people from their graves to receive their rewards. (Matthew 33:24-43) The only conclusion that makes any sense is that Jesus was talking about the last, literal, twenty-four hour day of this present age.
I think it’s amazing that some preachers and teachers who normally make it a rule to interpret the Bible literally, unless it’s impossible to do so, suddenly lose all concept of reality. Jesus said, “the last day.” There’s nothing in this context to indicate that He meant anything other than a normal 24 hour day. Yet, so many people have interpreted this last day from months to years long.
Throughout the Bible we find both of the terms last day and last days. I believe that the Holy Spirit knew which term was appropriate in each section of the Scripture. I also believe that Jesus meant what He said and said what He meant. I believe that He intends to raise His people – to resurrect them – on the last day of this present age.
Jesus’ teaching is very clear on these points if you dare to take Him at His word. As we approach the end of this age, God will somehow do a work that establishes a clear distinction between the “sons of the kingdom” and the “sons of the enemy.” This work will culminate on the last day of the age when “all those who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live…” (John 5:28-29).
This is the great hope of the church.
Question: How does meditating on the return of Christ give you hope?
Tags: Christ, eternal life, great hope, Jesus, last day, rapture, resurrection, return, second coming, the last day, the last days, this age, waking up on the last day
Do you believe that we’re living in the Last Days before the coming of the Lord? Do you think that His return is close? If so, then what should our mindset be like?
At one point in His ministry the Lord talked about the importance of being ready. We’re not to be distracted by all the things the world has to offer.
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.”
Luke 12:35-36
In this verse Jesus shows us how to live in the last days. He tells us to be dressed. For us it means to have our spiritual armor on. Don’t go around without your protection from the snares of the enemy.
Too many Christians are walking around spiritually naked. Then they wonder why the enemy has such an easy time messing with them. The time is now to prepare for the conflict ahead.
The Lord also said to keep your lamps burning. We must be awake and alert. The world is in the dark and we’re supposed to be in the light. That’s the kind of constant preparedness our lives should be equipped with.
We are to be in an attitude of waiting and watching. The meaning of the word that He uses for waiting is to give access to.
In other words, I’m not living for myself. I’m at someone else’s disposal. I’m supposed to be ready at a moment’s notice to do something for somebody else.
The Lord must have 24 hour a day access to our lives. As soon as the Master knocks we should be at the door, opening it. Our schedule should not even factor into it. We live to please the Master.
Sometimes our attitude with the Lord sounds like this; “Oh, I’m sorry. I was reading a book, and I wanted to finish the paragraph.” Servants don’t have that luxury. We live to please Christ. We must be prepared to serve at a moment’s notice.
In order to fulfill this calling we must have the attitude of a waiting servant. Christ is coming, and we want to be ready when He appears. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, what I’m reading, or what I’m eating – when He arrives on the scene, I’m there to meet Him. “Lord, I’m ready for you.” That’s the ready attitude to have.
It’s time for the church to stop living like our wants and desires are the most important thing. Christ must be given the highest priority of our service.
Question: Does the church appear ready for the return of Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: alert, attitude, awake, Christ, church, coming of the Lord, distracted, distractions, end time, Jesus, lamps burning, last days, last days mentality, mindset, ready, return of the Lord, second coming, servant, spiritual armor
I believe that we’re in the Last Days before the return of Christ. Did you know about the weeding that is going to take place in the Last Days? Christ taught about it during His earthly ministry. Very few people talk about it because it doesn’t fit into their view of the end times.
I want to take a few posts to examine this important concept. I think that it’s important for every believer to know what to expect on the road ahead.
The following is based upon the events and teachings found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 13 and verses 24-41. I encourage you to read that passage first, before continuing this post. You will have a greater understanding of what I’m saying.
This is actually the second teaching given by Jesus concerning the last days. He gave it to the disciples in parable form.
At this point the disciples already knew that there would be a day of resurrection sometime in the future. They knew that on that day the graves would be opened. Someday all believers will rise with a new resurrected body. In this teaching, Jesus builds upon that knowledge.
In the parable, the Lord teaches about a farmer who sowed good seed in the ground. Secretly, an enemy sowed bad seed during the night. When asked what he would do about it, the farmer said that he would let both plants grow together until the harvest. That way he could tell the difference between the weeds and the wheat.
The disciples had no idea what Jesus was talking about. Later on in the day, the disciples found themselves alone with the Lord. They took that opportunity to ask Him about it. It’s Jesus’ explanation that I want to talk about.
According to the Lord, sons of the kingdom (that’s us), were sown into the world. But the devil also sowed his sons into the world. According to the parable there are two kingdoms, on earth, growing side by side. I believe that’s where all the spiritual tension comes from that we are presently experiencing.
The kingdom of God and the world are both headed in opposite directions. They have two different kings and vastly different goals. As we approach the end, both kingdoms are going to start developing to the point where they’re bearing fruit. The closer we get to the return of the Lord, the clearer we will see both the church of Jesus Christ and the world for what they truly are.
It is the overlap of the world and the church that causes the problems. This parable addresses what God intends to do about it in the Last Days. This is a very important subject. If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to this blog for email delivery, so you won’t miss any of the posts.
Question: How have you experienced the tension between the kingdom of God and the world?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, disciples, end times, harvest, Jesus, kingdom of God, last days, parable, resurrected body, resurrection, resurrection day, return of Christ, second coming, side by side, spiritual tension, teaching, the world, two kingdoms, weeding
John 5:28-29
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”
Yesterday’s post talked about Christ as the Giver of spiritual life. But, right along those lines, Christ is also the Giver of resurrection life. In this verse He is giving us insight into His Second Coming. Actually this is the first time Scripture records Him speaking about His return.
Many people who teach about the end-times don’t even bother dealing with this passage. If you think that way, then you’ve missed the whole point. Because this is the first recorded incident in Jesus’ ministry where He mentions the end-times, that makes it important. No, He doesn’t say a lot about it, but what He does say is at the very core of our belief in the Second Coming.
Jesus explains that there is a day coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and will come out – those who have done good will rise to live; those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. Unfortunately, we usually miss this key. It is the foundation stone for everything else that you will learn about the Second Coming of Christ. Everything else that Jesus teaches builds on this.
The cross is our starting point. We come along about 2000 years later. What Jesus is talking about in this passage hasn’t happened yet. The dead are going to rise and there is going to be a time of judgment with the result being either eternal life or eternal condemnation.
We don’t know when it’s coming, but there will be a resurrection day. As far as the disciples were concerned, it wasn’t new to them. Jesus didn’t start with some new doctrine that they had never heard before. You find teaching on the resurrection in the Old Testament. Job testifies, in chapter 19 of his book, that he knew about the day of resurrection.
Even in the Old Testament, believers understood that God was not going to leave His people in the grave. The Pharisees themselves, as a group, believed and taught that one day God would bring about the resurrection of the dead.
The only thing that was new in His teaching was the fact that it will be the voice of Christ that causes the dead to rise. I’m sure that the Pharisees had some choice thoughts on that subject. We, however, are given a foundation upon which to build the rest of the teaching on the return of Christ.
It is the Lord Himself who is our resurrection. It is His voice who will call us from our graves to a place of victory. This is a day we can all look forward to as believers. Knowing this, we can live our lives in the hope that only springs from victory over death. We don’t have to worry about the future. We are safe in the arms of the Lord.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, devotion, disciple, encouragement, end times, glory, graves, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus Christ, Life Giver, protection, resurrection, return of Christ, second coming, victory
Acts 1:9-11
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
(NIV)
Yesterday I shared about the reason we need to know about the return of the Lord. We saw that Jesus taught His disciples that the important thing was being a witness. After explaining all this to the disciples, He rose from the earth and was taken out of their sight. The tragedy is that there are too many Christians around who are just like those disciples. You know them. It’s almost as if their life can be summed up with those words, “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING UP INTO HEAVEN?”
That seems to be their whole outlook on life. Their only goal is to find out when Jesus is coming back. “Lord, is it today? Can somebody tell me? Is it going to be this week?” Their whole Christian life is looking to see when Jesus is coming back. In doing that they miss the main emphasis given to us by Christ, which is “BE A WITNESS.”
What we usually find when we read through the Scripture is that when Jesus or the Apostles talk about the Second Coming of the Lord, the main theme of the teaching is usually about something else. The Return of Christ itself is not their main focus. When we think about it, the main emphasis should be the change that is needed in our lives to prepare us for the return of the Lord. The apostles only seem to use the return of Christ as a side illustration to emphasize the urgency that is needed to spur us on to change our ways.
There are so many people worried about what’s going to happen next. They are always asking, “Am I going to make it?” If that’s you – SNAP OUT OF IT! God is going to see us through. I’ll tell you now how it all ends – we win. All the rest is about how we get there. The end has already been written even though we haven’t reached it yet.
Christ is returning. That is a Scriptural fact. The real issue is what I am doing with this knowledge. Am I sitting back, doing nothing until He comes to get me? Or is it propelling me forward to share God’s love with others? The choice is yours.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, Christian witness, church, devotion, God's will, Jesus Christ, prepare, return of Christ, second coming, testimony
I have been posting about the return of Christ. We saw the warning He gave to His disciples that He would not return in their lifetime.
The Spirit and the Word 