𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣

• Do you like surprises? Why or why not?

• Are you the type who skips to the end of books or movies to know how the story ends? Why or why not?

• Why do you think much of the world is obsessed with “the end times,” using it as a theme in books, movies, and TV series?

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗

𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭?” 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.” 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝟭:𝟲–𝟴

The end times and the Second Coming of Jesus stir controversy, anxiety, and fear among people. Some try to predict when these will happen or anticipate the judgment that will come. The disciples wondered if Jesus’ resurrection meant He would free Israel from its oppressors. But Jesus pointed them to a bigger reality—God’s kingdom and plan is beyond any human’s. Today, Jesus’ admonition remains: we ought not to be concerned with the details of His return or the fulfillment of God’s redemption plan, but to be faithful with what He calls us to do. Let’s look at two truths about the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to return in power and glory.

𝟭. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺.

𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭?” 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝟭:𝟲

(Read also 𝟭 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭𝟱:𝟱𝟬–𝟱𝟴.)

Throughout His time with the disciples, Jesus had been alluding to the time when God will restore creation and the Son of Man will come to judge the living and the dead and establish His kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:50–52). They thought that Jesus’ resurrection would also fulfill the restoration He talked about. Indeed, Jesus has come to restore the world, but He will do it according to the plans and timing that 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. Because of this, we can live with hope, instead of anxiety and fear, knowing God will restore all of creation and make us new when Jesus returns. What else may we look forward to when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 15:55–58)?

𝟮. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺.” . . . “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 𝟭:𝟳, 𝟭𝟭

Some people claim there are signs that we are living in the last days, as they try to calculate when Jesus will return. While we may not know exactly when He will come, we know for sure He will return the same way He ascended—visibly, personally, and physically. While we wait, we shouldn’t be concerned with the “when,” but to live according to God’s plans and purposes for us. This includes obeying God’s greatest commands to love Him above all and to love one another and the Great Commission to be His witnesses to the entire world. As we wait in hope, we can invite others to wait and put their faith in Christ by preaching the gospel. Why is it more important to obey God and live in Christlikeness than know when exactly Jesus will return (1 Thessalonians 5:1–2, 9–11)?

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

• What mindsets do you have about Jesus’ Second Coming that need to be changed in light of what we’ve learned? Talk to someone and ask them to journey with you through this.

• What was your initial posture about the Second Coming? How can you grow in and live with hope, knowing that Jesus will come back in power and glory?

• How will the way you live and relate with others change in light of our discussion? With whom can you share the hope we have in Christ?

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

• Thank God for the hope we have in Christ, despite the chaos in the world. Thank Him for His plan of redemption and restoration when Jesus returns.

• Ask God to help you be faithful to obey Him and for the grace to be more like Christ, even as you wait for Jesus to return. Surrender any areas and mindsets that you may struggle with.

• Pray for opportunities and open doors to proclaim the gospel to others. Ask for the words to say as you share your hope in Christ.