Jesus taught His disciples not only about His own death and resurrection and not only about the need for personal sacrifice and taking up the cross to follow Him but also about His return to earth. In Luke 13 and in Matthew 24, He gave many warnings about the ‘end times’, the times leading up to the kingdom of heaven finally being fully established on earth, and predicted difficult times for all who followed Him (Luke 13:9-11, 19; Matt 24:9-14). He warned us that we cannot know when He will return (see Luke 13:32-37) and therefore there is need for constant readiness (Matt 25:1-13).

Jesus taught that after His death and resurrection, He would leave the disciples and send His Holy Spirit to be with them (this is most clearly taught in John 16 and was fulfilled in Acts 1 and 2 when we read of His ascension to heaven 40 days after His resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.) These things have all been fulfilled, but the things He spoke about concerning His return to earth, the return of the Son of Man, have yet to be fulfilled. We are still waiting for His return more than 2000 years later, but as 1 Thess 5:1-8 and 2 Pet 3:1-18 make plain, this day is still to come.

In essence, Jesus says, Wake up! Be ready! Don’t live as though you’ve got forever, because no one knows that. Look for the signs of the times; study God’s word; live each day in anticipation of the Lord’s return, because when the Son of Man comes, will be find faith on the earth, or will we have fallen away because we were not prepared and were not ready?’

We must learn to pray now with the persistence and tenacity of the widow in Luke 18:1-8 and not give up, not lose heart, not doubt that God has forgotten us, no matter how bad the situation may look. We must be prepared to take a stand for Jesus, to live without compromise, to live by His truth and not by lies, to live each day waiting for Him and being alert and ready. We must live with faith and hope and love, not with fear, doubt, despair or indifference.