Racing toward the return of Christ! (Pt.2)

Part 2

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”—Matthew 24:32–35

Several years ago, I ran a grueling half marathon in Indianapolis. Along the 13.1 mile course, you would encounter pockets of people cheering you on. Among them were some very well-meaning people who would try to encourage you by telling you that “You were almost there!” or shout to you “It’s just a little farther!” Then you would pass mile marker six and know they lied. LOL! It was obvious that although you were getting closer, you were not almost there. 

I think that is what has happened in the church when it comes to the return of Christ. We have given off the impression for 2,000 years that He is coming soon, and yet soon doesn’t seem to happen. A marathon run is grinding. Mile after mile, you press on knowing that you will eventually reach the end, but it never seems to come fast enough. After what seems like an eternity through endurance, tears and pain, you come around the corner to a massive crowd of people; they are cheering, a sign hangs above that reads Miracle Mile, and you can see in the distance the gabled finish line. All of a sudden, it is as if the finish is racing toward you. 

However, what if I had rejected the evidences before me? The crowds confirming the end was near. The signs declaring it was the last mile. What if I had rejected those things and given up? What if I kept believing that I was only on mile 4 when in reality I was closer to the finish than ever before? 

When it comes to Christ’s return, that is precisely what many of us have done. We have turned the corner and the return of Christ is racing toward us, but we are ignoring the signs. Have we turned the corner? Although Jesus Himself said that no man knows the day or hour of His return, I believe we can place a date on the moment that we turned the corner toward the finish line: May 14, 1948. That is the day that Israel became a nation. 

Prior to this, Israel had not been a sovereign nation since 586 B.C. Yet, all the prophecies regarding the last days show Israel to be a nation at the return of Christ and Jerusalem the center of end time events. The miracle of Israel becoming a nation happens on the heals of WWII. Many biblical scholars and theologians believe that several biblical passages foreshadow that moment in history. Passages like Ezekiel 37:1–6: 

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Many believe that this passage points the restoration of Israel after the Holocaust in which some 6 millions Jews were killed and out of the ashes God raised up a nation in a day. Isaiah the prophet wrote: 

“Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born.”—Isaiah 66:8

Jesus, Himself, eluded to it in Luke 21:29–33 (NLT): “29 Then he gave them this illustration: ‘Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.’”

On May 14, 1948, we turned the corner, and we have been racing toward the return of Christ ever since. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church