Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
When saying goodbye to someone very special to you, I’m sure you long to hear some assurance of approximately when you’ll see them again, right? Yesterday we watched Jesus’ farewell with His disciples and closest friends. (Acts 1:6-11) Amazingly Jesus did not say anything about when they might see Him again.
Instead, it was the two angels who appeared as Jesus ascended up into the sky, and the angels said: “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.” (Acts 1:11)
So, if you had been among that group of people who were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ departure, and you also heard the angels make that statement, what would be your conclusion about the time and location of Jesus’ return to earth? What would you tell other people about being ready for Jesus’ return to earth?
Do you remember what Jesus had said to Peter as they walked along the Sea of Galilee beach only a few days before? In referring to John, Jesus had said to Peter “If I want Him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me!” (John 21:22) Now Peter had just heard the angels say Jesus will return in the same way they had seen Him go! So, I am fairly certain Peter and perhaps others, concluded Jesus would be returning in a matter of a few years at most.
But now, here we are in the year 2026 and Jesus has not yet returned as the angels promised He would. So, what does that mean? Did the angels give incorrect information? Has something happened in heaven to delay Jesus’ return, or maybe even change God’s plan? NO, and we must remember these important truths:
1. First … the angels were not predicting WHEN, they were predicting HOW Jesus would return to earth: “Jesus will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
2. Second … What Jesus had told the disciples in answer to their question about the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, also applies to Jesus’ return: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority…” (Acts 1:7)
But that leaves us asking the important WHY question, doesn’t it? WHY will Jesus return to earth in the same manner the disciples saw Him leave? Had Jesus left something unfinished in His earthly mission which began in Bethlehem and concluded with His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension?
No!! Jesus had made it clear in His prayer only hours before He was taken by the mob from the Garden of Gethsemane: “I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do...” (John 17:4) And remember, from the cross, one of Jesus’ last words was “Tetelestai” meaning ‘it is finished’! (John 19:28-30) Jeus had left NOTHING undone in His earthly redemption mission. So WHY would Jesus come back to earth again?
In the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian Christians Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to shed some light on this question: “We do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. We believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him...” (1 Thess. 4:13,14)
Pause. What does that mean? It means when a Christian dies their soul/spirit goes to Paradise to be with Jesus, just as Jesus had promised the repentant thief on the cross. (Luke 23:43) And when Jesus returns, Jesus will BRING WITH HIM the souls/spirits of EVERY Christian who has died since the time of Jesus’ resurrection! Yes, that’s billions of Christians! But why? WHY would Jesus bring the souls/spirits of all deceased Christians back to earth with Him when He returns this next time?
Paul continued in his letter to the Thessalonian Christians in the first century: “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the cloud to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thess. 4:13-18)
Now that sure sounds like what the angels declared at Jesus’ ascension, doesn’t it? It’s Jesus returning to earth visibly, in the air, in the clouds just as He left. Do you see WHY? To gather up, or ‘rapture up’ all those who’ve trusted Jesus to be their Savior!
And do you see HOW it will happen? It’s TWO major events which will occur within minutes or maybe seconds of each other when Jesus next returns to earth:
First… the resurrection of all deceased believers in Jesus.
Just as Jesus’ body was resurrected and changed into an immortal, heavenly body, and reunited with His soul/spirit which had gone to Paradise so all deceased believer’s bodies will be resurrected and changed into immortal bodies and reunited with their souls/spirits which Jesus brings back with Him. (1 Corinthians 15:39-50) This will give to all those deceased Christians their IMMORTAL, heavenly bodies which will serve them for all eternity future!
Second… At the same time all those Christians ALIVE at that moment, anywhere in the world, will experience a transformation!
Suddenly their earthly bodies will be transformed into heavenly, glorified, immortal bodies and they will ascend, as Jesus did, to meet the Lord in the air, along with all the millions who have been resurrected! (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
Now pause and take a deep breath. Can you envision what will be happening, all around the world, in this glorious moment? Jesus will be visibly in the air, presumably over the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, having come from heaven as the angels predicted at His Acts 1:9-11 ascension. Suddenly, joining Jesus in the air will be BILLIONS of people of all ages, from all nations of the world, who have become authentic Christians since that day of Jesus’ death and resurrection! This moment will fulfill what the angels predicted on that day when Jesus ascended!
But wait. Does that mean that 5 minutes after this cataclysmic event, EVERY person alive on planet earth will NOT be a Christian, because all the Christians have gone up to be with Jesus? Yes, that is correct!! Now think about what that will be like.
Perhaps you read the books or watched the movies in the “Left Behind” series of several years ago. That is very much like what it will be like here on planet earth! And how do you suppose people will respond? I think millions will immediately repent, asking God to forgive and save them. Millions of others will be angry, and this planet will go from bad to worse very quickly! By the way, part of why we produce “Walking with Jesus” and archive it is so when we are taken up with Jesus, all these now more than 2000 editions of “WWJ” will be available to help those left behind learn the truth about Jesus and God’s Word!
So, we must end today with an obvious question: When Jesus returns, will YOU be transformed and taken up to be with Jesus… or left behind?
Now very important “lessons learned” notes are ready to help you with that question at the “Grand Narrative” link below, and then a glorious worship song, and of course I’ll be here waiting for you tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18.
Choose below to read or listen.
Acts 1:9-11
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1 Thess. 4:13-18
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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