THE KING IS COMING

History is moving toward a King. Jesus entered our world in humility, was crucified under a Roman governor, rose bodily, and ascended before His disciples. He will come again. The Lord Himself will appear.

Date-setting, speculation, and confident charts have sometimes injured this hope. Jesus said no one knows the day or hour. Predictions distract from His actual command: be ready. Readiness means belonging to Christ and faithfully doing what He gives us to do.

Why will Jesus return?

He will complete the salvation He began. The dead in Christ will rise; living believers will be gathered to Him. Bodies marked by age, disease, disability, violence, and decay will be made incorruptible. Creation will be freed, and God's people will be with the Lord forever.

He will judge. Every hidden act, protected cruelty, corrupt system, secret motive, and unrepented sin will meet perfect truth. Human courts can fail; Christ's judgment cannot. Victims forgotten by history are not forgotten by Him.

He will renew. Christian hope is not souls floating above a discarded world, but resurrection, a new heaven and new earth, God dwelling with His people, and death no more.

For those reconciled to God, His return is blessed hope. The Judge is the Saviour who gave Himself for them. They long not only for relief, but for Him.

For those remaining in rebellion, His coming is a solemn warning. The Jesus who offers mercy now will judge then. His apparent delay is patience, calling people to repentance, not indifference.

The cross stands at the centre of this future. The returning King first came to save. He lived the obedience we refused, bore sinners' judgment, died, and was raised. God offers forgiveness, the Spirit, and eternal life to everyone who repents and believes.

No amount of good works can purchase readiness. No church connection can hide an unconverted heart. No private theory that judgment will never come can cancel the appointment. Readiness is found in Christ.

Jesus' return gives meaning to ordinary faithfulness: tell the truth, forgive, care for the poor, defend the vulnerable, work with integrity, make peace, share the Gospel, pray, and gather with God's people.

Thirty days of hearing about Jesus can leave a person unchanged. Knowledge can accumulate while the will postpones. Perhaps you admired or debated the Gospel, felt moved, or promised to respond later. This is not a request for another emotional moment. It is a call to reality.

Jesus Christ is Lord. You are not promised tomorrow. He has made peace through His cross and conquered death through His resurrection. Turn from sin. Abandon every attempt to justify yourself. Entrust your whole life to Him.

The Bible ends with an invitation: "Let the one who is thirsty come." And ends with a promise: "Surely I am coming soon." Don't wait for that moment. Receive Him now, while there is still time.

If Jesus returned today, would you meet Him as the King you trust or the Judge you have resisted?