Only hours before His death, a carpenter rabbi from Nazareth told His followers that He was leaving them. Then He said, “Let not your heart be troubled . . . . I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

Almost 2,000 years later, many are still waiting for the fulfillment of that promise. In 1992, pollster George Barna reported that 7 out of 10 Americans believed Jesus would return at some time in the future. In 1997, an Associated Press survey showed that 24% of American adults believed Christ would come back in their lifetime.

A legacy

My grandfather, founder of RBC Ministries, was one who lived with the daily anticipation of Christ’s return. Until his homegoing in 1965, he viewed the national rebirth of Israel, the growing influence of the United Nations, and the emergence of atheistic Russia as indicators that the Bible’s predictions about the last days were coming to pass. Then, for two decades after his passing, my father Richard continued to teach the any-moment return of Christ. Today, Dad’s body is buried near his own father’s memorial stone that says, “Perhaps Today.”

Changing conditions

In the last few decades world conditions have changed dramatically. The breakup of the Soviet Union, an uneventful turn of millenniums, a series of false alarms sounded by well-publicized date-setters, and the surprising popularity of the Left Behind novels have all influenced the way we think about prophecy. In addition, several recent books have been written to challenge the “maybe today” view of Christ’s return.

What Christ said about His return

Many students of the Bible believe Jesus never told His disciples to think of His coming as imminent. As evidence, they point to passages such as John 21:18, which says that Jesus told Peter not to expect Him to come back before Peter was an old man. Furthermore, in a private conversation with His disciples, Jesus told them that His return would follow unprecedented events: “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29). Then, according to Christ, He and His angels will come with an unmistakable display of power (vv. 30-31).

Something else Christ said

It’s important to know, however, that Christ also included an element of mystery about the time of His coming. To keep us ready and watching, Christ said other things that don’t seem to fit His promise to return on the heels of the worst trouble the world has ever known. On other occasions He told stories illustrating the importance of being ready for His return, adding, “for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).

How could both be true? How could our Lord say to His disciples that He would come at a time they didn’t expect if His coming will be preceded by the signs described in Matthew 24:21-30?

A precedent

This is not the first time the people of God have been faced with prophecies that seemed contradictory. The ancient rabbis of Israel could not understand why their prophets talked mysteriously about a coming Messiah who would be both a suffering servant and ruling king. They didn’t know that these two distinct roles of Messiah would be fulfilled by two comings separated by at least 2,000 years.

An implied parallel

Our situation today may be similar to that faced by Old Testament Jewish people. We too have pieces of a prophetic puzzle that don’t seem to match. The difference today is that God has given us a precedent for expecting more than one appearance. We now have reason to consider a scenario which, though not explicit in the text, seems to be implied. If there are yet two more parts to Christ’s return, His coming could be both imminent (any moment) and several years away (after the sun and moon are darkened with judgment).

But why would two more appearances be necessary? One answer involves the similar but distinct nature of Israel, and that international body known as the church.

A reason for two more appearances

Israel and the church are similar in that both share the same spiritual heritage. Both are loved by the same God. Both are grounded in the scrolls of Jewish prophets. Both are a “chosen people,” called to be a light to the nations.

But there are also broad and far-reaching differences. Israel is a national body founded on the teachings of Moses, and focused on a land, a temple, a priesthood, and the promise of a Messiah who would subdue and rule the earth (Isaiah 2:1-4). The church is an international body, a living temple made not of stone but of people, all of whom are priests and messengers of God. They’ve been sent out into the world to represent the mind and heart of Christ until He returns to lead them, and the friends they’ve made, back to His Father’s house (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

These similar but distinct roles of Israel and the church give us a reason why Christ might speak in such different terms about His return. Because Israel and the church have similar but distinct relationships to God, we can see why our Lord’s coming to remove the church from the world could be imminent, while His return to rule the world would happen only after the sun and moon stop shining.

An unchanged expectation

The most important facts have not changed. Regardless of changing international conditions, we still have our Lord’s promise to His disciples: “Let not your heart be troubled . . . . I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

We also still have the mystery. We have every reason to live as if His coming could be a moment away, just as we have every reason to plan for the future as if His coming will not happen in our lifetime. For almost 2,000 years the watchword has been, “Maybe today. Maybe not.” Worst case for followers of Christ would be for us to let our political efforts or alignments detract from our spiritual mission, or for our spiritual mission to make us no political good. —Mart De Haan