When is Jesus going to Return?

3 Signs in Scripture + Upcoming Course on the Holy Eucharist w/ C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, & the Church Fathers

Dear Barrel Aged Christians,

Happy Tuesday! I just released a video based upon an article I published that you may have read about 3 Signs in Scripture that point to the Return of Jesus, our King. If you are more of a reader, you can find the 3 signs summarized below in case you missed it.

Also, do not forget about my upcoming mini-course (released June 1st) that will be exclusive for paid subscribers (so upgrade from free subscriber today and support the ongoing mission of The Barrel!)

As promised, here is a summary of my previous article about the 3 signs!

The 3 Great Signs Preceding His Second Coming

In his commentary on Revelation, Dr. Peter Williamson (see page 335) points to 3 primary signs that Christ gives that will accompany his return. Here is the first:

#1 The Great Commission: The Gospel will be preached everywhere. (See Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:10). Williamson writes,

“The Church’s testimony to the nations is progressing toward that goal. Almost all nations (cultural-linguistic groups) have heard the gospel, and the number of Christians in Africa and Asia is rapidly increasing.”

An important note about this sign is that it isn’t one you can simply find by studying the stars or complicated timelines. You cannot measure it with mathematical precision. It requires you to simply roll up your sleeves and share the Gospel with the people near you and far off. Christ could have come back when Thomas reached India, but he did not. He could have returned when the Assyrian Christians reached China, but he did not. He could have returned when Saints Cyril & Methodious went to the Slavic people, but he did not. We could go down the list of missionaries who brought the Gospel to the Americas (many Franciscans) or to the southern most regions of Africa, but none of these arrival points brought Christ down to us! Some Christians have pondered the question: “Will Christ return when the Gospel has literally been proclaimed in every language-group that is currently spoken? Even among the unreached tribes on isolated islands that know nothing of the modern world?…”

I do know of Christian missionaries who are seeking to fulfill the goal of reaching every isolated tribe with a translation of the Bible in their own language in a very literal way. (We talked about this quite a bit at my alma mater, Taylor University, an evangelical college dedicated to world missions and intentional discipleship. Some world missions experts have stated that this goal could be completed in our lifetimes or even before 2030 just in time to commemorate the 2,000 year anniversary of Christ’s Resurrection! Whether this achievement will actually usher in the Return of Christ in our lifetimes is certainly speculative, but we should simply rejoice at the fact that every person will have the Bible available to them in their own language.

#2 The Great Apostasy: Many people will leave the faith. This is the first time in history that we have seen such a massive number of Christians leaving the faith voluntarily. Throughout Europe, cathedrals that were built to hold hundreds or thousands of people now only have 20-30 in attendance on a Sunday morning. Dr. Williamson notes that the only other time that we have seen such a high level of apostasy in church history was in the 7th century when Christians were coerced and persecuted to leave the faith in North Africa and the Middle East during the Muslim conquests. Although those events should greatly sadden us, and we pray for a Christian revival in those lands, we should be even more saddened over the situation in Europe where Christians have left willingly and voluntarily.

Although the United States is in much better shape than Europe (in part due to immigration from countries where Christianity is growing), we should still be very concerned about the mass numbers of people who have become non-affiliated (the NONES) and no longer worship with other people. A 2021 Gallup poll revealed that church membership in the US has fallen below 50% for the first time in American history. Many studies also project that this number will continue to drop. A recent study released this month (May 2023) also reveals a significant drop in church attendance following the pandemic. (*This picture will become darker unless God’s people become mobilized and take missionary discipleship seriously!)

We should also keep in mind that apostasy cannot happen to non-Christians. Only Christians can become apostates, because the act of apostasy is the willful rejection of the Christian faith. Many Biblical scholars have stated that a Great Apostasy will occur before the Return of Christ and is referenced in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3,

“As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, for that Day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the Lawless One is revealed, the one destined for destruction.”

This Great Rebellion led by the Rebellious One (the ‘lawless one’ or the Anti-Christ) will be permitted by God to happen, and this period of time will lead to the spiritual hardening of many hearts. Our Lord says that the “love of many will grow cold.” (This is happening quite a bit among friends and families even over the last few years). Jesus seems to be commenting on this period of apostasy in Matthew 24 when speaking about the last things:

“10 Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

This passage, when combined with Revelation 9:1; 20:7-8, gives us the impression that Satan will be released from his chains in the Abyss (after having been bound by Christ, St. Michael, and the work of the Church) in order to deceive the nation. For the sake of our children, let us pray that this time of Great Apostasy is not now, and if so, that they will cling to our Lord and endure until the End.

#3 The Great Trial: Many Christians will be persecuted & martyred. The Scriptures, the fathers, and many saints warn of a Final Trial that will occur before the Return of Christ. It is also referred to as the Great Tribulation and by St. Thomas Aquinas as the Conflagration. The biggest sign of the Great Trial is the martyrdom of God’s people and is likely overlapping with the Great Apostasy. Sadly, it is likely that the apostates themselves who hate Christianity will be the ones who lead a Great Persecution against true followers of Christ and create many martyrs and orphans.

Satan will not only be released for a final push of deception, but he will also be allowed to wreak havoc and chaos upon the world. Just as he rejoiced at the death of our Lord, he will rejoice at the death of his followers. In contrast to the Lamb’s Supper, ‘Satan’s Supper’ will be the drinking of the blood of the saints as depicted in Revelation 17:6. The Catechism describes ‘The Final Trial’ in this way:

“Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.” (CCC 675).

Of course, martyrdom has been happening since Christ’s Ascension beginning with St. Stephen at the hands of Saul (who became St. Paul the Apostle). Most of the saints that we honor from the first few centuries were martyrs. Shoot, even most of the first Popes became martyrs for Christ! Martyrdom is not a particularly unique sign over the last 2,000 years. However, did you know that it is estimated that around 35 Million Christian were martyred from the 1st century to the 19th century AND that in the 20th century alone, there were 45 million Christian martyrs? The 20th century had more martyrs than all of the other previous centuries combined?!⁶

As we conclude, Christians must always remember that there is nothing to panic about. Death and the end of the World are not to be feared, because Christ has overcome both, and He has become our future. As the world grows old, our only hope is to cling to the One who can make the world young again, for when His holy and pierced foot touches our soil again, it will usher in an eternal spring for all those who are found to be alive in Him.

Be entirely His until that Day!

-Kyle

*If you haven’t subscribed to you my Youtube channel (@barrelagedfaith) yet, please do so! My goal is to get to 1,000 subscribers so I can begin monetizing the channel, which helps support the work at Barrel Aged Faith.