WHEN CAN WE EXPECT JESUS TO RETURN FOR THE FINAL JUDGMENT?

SCRIPTURE:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People 
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, 
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, 
unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the 
good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than 
lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. 
Have nothing to do with such people.
(2 Timothy 3:1-5)

MEDITATION:
Many people want to know when Jesus will return for the final judgment.
Why would they be concerned?
Would their lifestyle and priorities change if they thought His return was near?
Doesn’t that imply that they are not living as they should, and they know it?
We live in a world where procrastination is not unusual.
Sure we will live as the Lord expects us to, “one day”, just not right now.

Of course no one knows when Jesus will return, except for God.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, 
nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

However, Paul was given a vision of signs that indicate His return is nearing.
He said there will be “terrible times”.
Are we living in perilous times?
Of course we are, as crime, murder and terrorism is increasing rapidly.

He said “people will be lovers of themselves”.
There are many folks today with an attitude of, “It’s all about me”.
He said people will be “lovers of money”.
The mantra of the world we live in is, “Get all you can, and can all you get”.

Homes are being broken apart due to the absence of workaholics 
who are in pursuit of more possessions and staying ahead of others.
It is no surprise that he lists “boastful”, “proud”, and “conceited”.
As people make more money, they get more possessions, 
and naturally they want to ‘show them off’ to others.
Those of us who love sports see this type of attitude often as a player
tries to draw attention to himself as he pounds his chest or engages in
some other kind of attention getting antic.

They become proud of everything that is theirs 
and have little concern of what others have (unless it is more or better).
Listen closely to a conversation between two people and see how much 
one will talk about the achievements of themselves or their children, 
and how little they ask the other person about theirs.

“Abusive” and “brutal” is often a result of being frustrated 
over failures in attempts to ‘achieve’ that has resulted in 
their missing out on enjoying the important things of life.
It can also be caused by not being able to cope with some situations 
that results in a lack of ‘self-control’ (another sign listed by Paul).
Or, it could be a sign that sin has taken them down the dark path of meanness.

Not too many years ago, there was an occasional ‘brat’ in the neighborhood, 
but more lately we can see instances of disrespect for parents in many families.
We could explore all kinds of reasons for this, but the fact remains 
that a growing number of children are “disobedient to their parents” 
with no fear of consequences for their actions.

“Ungrateful” doesn’t mean 
doing something for others in return for what they have done for you.
It means that a person does not even show genuine gratitude for what they 
receive from others (whether it is a gift, a helping hand, or encouragement). 
This includes a lack of appreciation for all that God has provided for them.

“Unholy” is an interesting item in Paul’s list.
It is indicative of those who ‘put on a front’ of being a believer, 
but underneath the facade there is no real substance to support their claim.
Too many people are convincing themselves and others that they are saved 
by their words and actions, but they are speeding toward an eternity 
separated from the Lord.
The root cause is, many have created a personal ‘religion’ 
with their own guidelines, instead of succumbing to God’s commands.

Although we could list many examples, let’s look at one that happens often.
Someone claims to be a Christian, quotes scriptures, 
and posts biblical phrases on social media.
However, they have ‘dug in their heels’ 
about obeying His command to worship together with other believers.
When asked about it, they will either become angry (because they know 
they are wrong), or will justify their disobedience (because they are 
trying to convince themselves that it’s okay).

Here is an interesting tidbit though – when they are smitten by someone and 
that person asks them to attend church with them, they jump at the opportunity.
Why? Because they want to be 
with that person – it has nothing to do with worshipping with other believers.

Three of the items listed 
are related – “without love”, “unforgiving” and “slanderous”.
A person with sincere love will have the capacity to forgive others 
(as God has forgiven them), and to avoid saying bad things about others.
Many are guilty of slander because they want to build themselves up 
by belittling others, or it is a byproduct of jealousy.
We can see this when we make a compliment about someone and the person
we are talking to says, “Yeah, but did you know…(something derogatory)”.

The movie industry doesn’t help 
as it tries to convince the masses that love is only equated to sex.
The news media doesn’t help either, as it falsely reports information 
that is detrimental to people who disagree with their opinions.

“Treacherous” and “rash” are loosely connected as we see people 
ending up in perilous situations, because they failed to use 
the wisdom God has given man which separates us from the animals.

“lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” points to misdirected love.
It is an attitude of pleasing self rather than pleasing God.
As long as God fits into their desires and plans, they will include Him, 
but if requires a sacrifice or an inconvenience, then He is left out.
That is not a love of God!

It makes sense that the very next item he lists is, 
“having a form of Godliness but denying its power”.
He is pointing to hypocrites, which are people who talk and act like Christians 
but have refused to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to enter their lives and 
change them on the inside, so that God becomes the top priority in their lives.
 
Without the power of the Holy Spirit, a person is ready to justify 
or debate (sometimes vehemently) their disobedience of God’s commands.
With the Holy Spirit in control, a person looks forward to, and finds joy in 
obeying commands like, worshipping with others and ‘returning’ a portion 
(minimum of one-tenth) of what He has given us.

By no means is the intent of this devotional 
to indicate that the return of Jesus is near.
However, we can see from the ‘indicators’ listed by Paul 
that we should not be surprised if He returns at any time.
Even so, when you see all these things, 
you know that it is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:33)

ACTION:
Are you living each day as if you expected the return of Jesus?
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come 
at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:44)

If you could know when He would return and it would happen 
ten days from now, what would you do differently?
Why not make those changes now 
and start enjoying a close relationship with Him and other believers?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I am thankful for Your promise that Jesus will 
return and take all believers to our eternal home. Forgive me for 
defiantly disobeying some of your commands that do not fit my 
lifestyle and desires. I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill me so that 
I no longer worship on my own terms, but on Yours. I want to live 
a life with complete trust that You will bless and take care of me 
whenever I obey Your command to tithe. I am tired of watching 
others having a relationship with You that, due to my own selfishness, 
I am missing out on. I have procrastinated long enough, so I ask You to 
help me make the changes needed to behave more like a child of Yours.”