Dear Pastor Gallups, " When will Jesus return to earth?” J.D.- Jay

Dear JD, You have asked one of the most asked questions of the last two thousand years! In Matt. 24:3, Jesus' own disciples asked this very question. Let me give you the basics. In the scriptures, Jesus made it clear that man cannot know the exact day or hour. We cannot pin point a date on the calendar. However, we can know the "season" or the "times". Jesus said there would be general signs that the whole world would see. Earthquakes, famine, disease, revolutions, wars, etc, all would be on the increase. Natural disasters would plague and upset mankind. There will be a persecution of Christians and the Christian faith, a general state of increasing lawlessness and anarchy all over the world. The statistical facts for the fulfillment of these phenomena in our lifetime are undeniable.

Two other huge signs of the impending return of the Lord Jesus according to Biblical scholars are the reestablishment of the nation of Israel (which happened in 1948) and the worldwide spread of the gospel message (which through cable TV, satellite technology, world wide massive mission endeavors and the internet is happening NOW before our very eyes). Both of these things had to preclude the return of Jesus and BOTH of these things have happened or are happening in OUR lifetime!

Another interesting fulfillment has been the explosion of information and transportation technology foretold by the Prophet Daniel. This phenomenon was said to be a sure sign of the end times generation. Mankind has been on the face of the earth for about 10,000 years. Yet, for 9,900 of those years man walked or rode horses or camels wherever he went. Only in the last 100 years did man go from walking and riding beasts to automobiles, airplanes, spaceshuttles, computers, internet, moon landings, supersonic travel and satellite technology! In OUR lifetime we have experience an absolute EXPLOSION of information and transportation technology like no other time in human history! So, you can see, we definitely are closer than any other generation has ever been to the return of the Lord Jesus. JD, the most important thing is that YOU are ready! I pray that your life is surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and that you have called upon him as savior. One day soon, perhaps in our lifetime, He WILL return! Please, be ready!