What will Jesus do when he returns?

When Jesus returns, “He will mend the broken and create a new Heaven and a new Earth,” says Colin, 12. “He will raise the dead from the grave and will take all those who believe in him to eternal paradise.” 

In case you haven’t noticed, this world and the people in it are broken. As the nursery rhyme goes, “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty back together again.” 

Why? Because Humpty had a great fall. 

The fall as in Adam and Eve’s first sin affected not only our original parents and us, but creation itself. It’s hard to imagine the effects of the fall because all we’ve ever known from our experience is a broken world. We think it’s normal. 

Our world is so broken that the Bible pictures creation as groaning for the day when Jesus Christ will return to

Jesus returns

Jesus returns to earth in glory

put all the fallen, mangled pieces back together again. If we had even a little inkling of the renewed world Jesus will create, we, too, would be groaning and yearning for the day of his return.

I’m so glad that God is in the restoration and renewal business. “Redemption” is the Bible word. A modern word is “upcycle.” God is going to upcycle the old, broken stuff of this world and make it new. That includes redeemed people. Resurrection bodies won’t break down. Doctors will be out of a job.

“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23).

“Jesus will come down in a cloud,” says Marco, 10.

Kids talk about God

Several times Jesus said he would return in the clouds (Matthew 26:63-64 & 24:30). Jesus also said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:49). Does this mean he is literal bread? Of course not. As Jesus used “bread of life” as a metaphor to describe his life-giving power, so “coming in the clouds” is a metaphor or a code phrase for God’s judgment.  

Old Testament prophets Ezekiel, Joel and Isaiah wrote of the Lord coming in the clouds as a metaphor for God’s judgment (Ezekiel 30:3, Joel 2:1-2 & Isaiah 19:1). The way to decide whether “coming in the clouds” is literal or figurative is to look for the same language in the Old Testament.  

“Jesus was not telling them to look for Himself in the sky,” writes author Gary DeMar. “He told them they would see a sign that proved He was in heaven, sitting at His Father’s right hand (Acts 2:30-36). Those who had witnessed Jerusalem’s destruction would see the sign of Jesus’ enthronement when they saw Jerusalem’s destruction.”

The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple all happened within a generation just as Jesus predicted (Matthew 24:34). The Roman siege that began in the spring of AD 67 and ended in fall of AD 70 (3.5 years) left Jerusalem, its temple and people utterly desolate.

Although Jesus already came in the clouds to judge his people, keep looking for his return to establish a kingdom “in which righteousness dwells” (II Peter 3:13). 

Think about this: We live in an age of grace where all (Jew and Gentile) have an opportunity to enter into God’s kingdom by trusting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Don’t miss it!

Memorize this truth: Romans 8:22 previously quoted.

Ask this question: Are you ready for Jesus to return?

“Kids Talk About God” is written and distributed by Carey Kinsolving. To access free, online “Kids Color Me Bible” books, “Mission Explorers” videos, a new children’s musical, and all columns in a Bible Lesson Archive, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. To read journey-of-faith feature stories written by Carey Kinsolving, visit www.FaithProfiles.org.

 

© 2017 Carey Kinsolving