Unfinished business? Yes, indeed. Jesus promised that He would come back to our planet in what Christians commonly call the Second Coming. He made the promise back in the first century—before returning to heaven. It’s a promise that has been echoed by His followers from the first century until today. It’s also a promise not yet kept. It’s unfinished business.
And the question left hanging is this: When will the Second Coming occur? This is not a new question; it was once asked by Jesus’ first disciples after He had predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (Matthew 24:2).
Jerusalem’s temple and end-time signs
The discussion begins as Jesus and His disciples are leaving the temple. To say that the temple at this time was magnificent is an understatement. It was built by Herod the Great, the ruler of Palestine, who was renowned for his civil projects. Herod had built the city-port of Caesarea, taking care to name it after Caesar, the Roman emperor—an excellent political move. His own palace in Jerusalem was quite spectacular, but the white-stone temple was the standout building in all of Palestine and could be seen from quite a distance as travelers neared Jerusalem.
When the disciples highlight the beauty of the various temple buildings, Jesus responds by talking about its destruction: “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). However, Jesus was speaking of more than the destruction of the temple in Matthew 24. He was also speaking about His return to earth (His second coming) and of end-time events. At least that’s how the disciples understood it. They asked Jesus, “When will this happen?” And, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).
In response, Jesus refers to a list of signs that will be seen before His coming: false prophets and false saviors, wars with nation against nation, famines and earthquakes, rampant sin, and more. The list is quite extensive and worth checking out (Matthew 24:4–14). History has demonstrated that most, if not all, of these signs have occurred—time and time again in some places. That’s another demonstration that this discussion is about more than the temple.
And there’s a warning: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). That’s not even a coded message—it’s a reminder that we need to be aware of what’s happening and respond to Christ by following Him.
blueprints for living and waiting well
Jesus particularly emphasizes personal readiness for His coming and in this passage told three stories to make His point.
The first is about the five wise and five foolish bridesmaids going to a wedding. The wise women are prepared for almost any emergency, including a delay. The groom’s delay means that the foolish women, who had run out of oil for their lamps, must try to purchase some—at midnight. Jesus’ message to us is simple: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
The second story is about a master going away and trusting each of his three servants with bags of silver. One was given five bags, another two, and the third, one bag. The first two servants invest their silver and increase the amount twofold. The other hides his one bag of silver so he could return it when the master returned. When the master returns, he praises the servants who had doubled the amount of silver they had received. The other servant had not taken the opportunity to increase what he had been given and so he’s thrown out into the darkness where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). The call in this story is for us to use what God has given us while we still have time.
The third story is about how we treat others. Did we respond to what we saw—the hungry, the thirsty, those in trouble? Jesus indicates that when we help those in need, we do it for Him (Matthew 25:40)—and that leads to a welcome into God’s kingdom.
Author Nathan Brown puts it this way “Yes, Jesus had given them (the disciples) signs that would act as way markers (see Matthew 24), but more importantly, He had given them a blueprint for living and waiting well (see Matthew 25).”1
Peter’s reasoning
The apostle Peter wrote of the Second Coming, that “in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation’ ” (2 Peter 3:3, 4). This mocking does not alter the fact that Jesus is coming. He is working on a divine timeline—not a human one.
Peter argues that the scoffers need to remember that God is the Creator who spoke the heavens and earth into existence. Too many, he says, “deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water” (2 Peter 3:5).
And, don’t forget, he writes, a day is “like a thousand years to the Lord and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8, paraphrased). Jesus isn’t being slow about His promise to come back. He is being patient, not wanting any to be destroyed, but for them to repent. Peter adds this warning to emphasize his point: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10).
That’s worth remembering as we await the return.
the promise
Jesus warns of troublesome times for His followers and others in this waiting time—with wars and threats of war, and of challenges for those who try to tell the story of Jesus, but He adds, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:1–4).
Jesus is coming again to make all things new. This coming will end all the pain and hurt we experience on our broken planet. That’s the time when God’s business with our planet will be finished. Successfully. Jesus’ return is a promise. It’s a promise not yet kept, but we can trust the One who made the promise. We know there’s a day when Jesus will come and God will finish what He started.
The Bible ends with these words of promise and hope: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ ”
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” That’s the response.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people” (Revelation 22:20, 21).
Leon Morris, the Australian-born New Testament scholar and theologian, had these insights on this biblical passage “John’s confidence is finally not in human efforts for the betterment of mankind, but in an active, living God, whose love and whose wrath are alike revealed in the events of human history, a God who has played the decisive part in that history when he sent Jesus Christ among us.”
And it’s this God, the One who wants the best for us, who is sending His Son back for His people. There are a new heaven and a new earth—with a new Jerusalem coming (Revelation 21). That’s when, at long last, real peace on earth will be here to stay.
Bruce Manners is an author, retired pastor, and former editor of the Australia/New Zealand edition of Signs of the Times®. He is based in Lilydale, Victoria.
