John asks, “When is the second coming of Christ? Please give me a precise date.”
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Hi John,
Thanks for your question about the date of the second coming of Christ. Although I wish I could give you a precise date, I cannot do so because God did not choose to reveal that to us in His Word. Some Christians (and some non-Christians, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) have predicted that Jesus would return in a certain year or even a specific day; however, there is no specific date given in the Bible. Not only that, but Jesus Himself (at least during His time on earth) said that He did not know the date of His return. Jesus said, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Mt. 24:36; see also Mk. 13:32). After this verse, Jesus goes on to emphasize the importance of always being ready for Him to return because He will come at a time that is unexpected. Jesus says that we can be ready for His return by remaining faithful to God. This is critical because we “do not know on what day [our] Lord is coming” (Mt. 24:42).
So I would just encourage you with the same advice that Jesus offered. Serve God each day as if it were your last, since God may call any of us home at any time; moreover, Jesus may return at any time. So even though we do not know the exact timing of His return and when our life on this earth will end, we can serve Him with a sense of urgency. In fact, I suspect that God did not reveal the date specifically because He wants us to live with a sense of urgency—as if each day could be our last. We must make as much of an impact in God’s kingdom as we can during the brief time we have on earth, and we must trust God each day without knowing how much time we have left.
–Dr. Zach Breitenbach, Director of the Worldview Center at Connection Pointe in Brownsburg, IN and the former Associate Director of Room For Doubt.
