“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:11
The Bible promises in numerous places that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, and to decide who has honoured his name, served him faithfully, and is deserving of a place in God’s new creation. The question that many Christians ask about this is how will we know that Jesus has returned? Many people over the centuries have claimed to be the returning Christ, and yet none were. Will we notice Christ return? Will he slip back unnoticed? Will we recognise him?
There are several places in the Bible that detail how Christ will return, but this prophecy in Acts is particularly poignant, since it comes straight after Jesus ascended into heaven. The disciples were told by two men, who were probably angels in the form of man, that Jesus will return in the same way as he ascended into heaven. The disciples had just seen Jesus, in a physical human body after his resurrection, be lifted up and taken into the sky on a cloud. Since Jesus will return in the same way, we can expect to see him. He will return in human form, still a man and yet still God, and will descend from the sky on clouds. I don’t know how many men you have seen do that, but I suspect the answer is none
The promise of today’s verse is that Jesus WILL return. He will come back to gather together his people. He has not abandoned us, but, as we saw yesterday, has left us to continue his ministry on earth. When the time comes, we will see him return, and when that day comes, there will be so much to be joyful for. Give thanks, then, that Jesus will return, and pray that we might see his descent from heaven soon!