22 Then He said to the 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. 23 People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them. 24 For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Today in our devotions, we’re returning to Luke’s Gospel after quite a long break. We are jumping back in just after Jesus has been asked when the kingdom of God will come. Over the next few days, we will listen to Jesus teach us several things we need to know about his second coming – when he will return in glory, to bring this present evil age to an end and to unveil God’s everlasting kingdom.

Today Jesus makes something very clear: His second coming will be such a huge event that it will be obvious to everyone in the world. At first I was struggling to imagine verse 24, where Jesus compares his return to lightning. But then I realised it’s an analogy, not a description. When there’s a huge bolt of lightning, nobody can miss it – it lights up the whole sky. Jesus’ point was: When he comes back, it will be like that – nobody will possibly be able to miss it.

There’s a Wikipedia page called “List of people claimed to be Jesus”, which lists people in the last few centuries who either claimed to be Jesus, or other people believed they were Jesus Christ returned. It gives a few names from the 17th and 18th centuries, 8 from the 19th century … and 31 people from the 20th century. So far we’re up to 12 people this century who claim they are Jesus.

It’s makes me sad that so many people get taken in by those small, lame, fake returns-of-Jesus. But I’m also so glad that Jesus himself gave us such a clear word, to protect us from them. If a friend tells you they believe some amazing and powerful preacher or prophet or priest is Jesus Christ, you don’t need to be the slightest bit worried that maybe they’re right.

See, I still don’t know what the return of Jesus will look like – not exactly. But I know that when he returns, every single person on the planet will see and know without a shadow of a doubt. That’s when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.