3 Warnings Jesus Gave About His Return

The Lean of the Tower

If you've been with us over the last couple of weeks, you know we've been in a series tackling some tougher questions: What do we believe? How do we know? And why does it really matter? The point of it all has been to go back and examine the foundations of our faith — to shore up what we build our faith on and check for cracks.

Because whenever you try to build something on a faulty foundation, it doesn't take long before problems begin to surface.

My favorite example of a faulty foundation is the Leaning Tower of Pisa — my favorite monument to mediocrity. Five million people every single year flock to see this glaring mistake. You probably know it was never meant to be the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was just supposed to be the Tower of Pisa.

Construction began in 1173. The builders had a grand vision to make a bell tower that would endure for generations. The plans were impressive, the craftsmanship was excellent, the materials were beautiful — but there was one problem. The foundation was only about ten feet deep, built atop a mixture of soft clay, sand, and shells. The ground was never strong enough to support the weight of what they were trying to build.

When they began, everything looked fine. Floor one, good. Floor two, good. But by the third floor, they knew the tower was beginning to lean. They didn't know what to do, so they paused construction for over a hundred years. And after a century of having time to come up with a better plan, they said, "Let's just keep going."

You'll think I'm making this up, but as soon as they resumed on the fourth floor, they began building one side taller than the other, hoping to even it out the rest of the way up. Each floor of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is not symmetrical or balanced — each is different because they were trying to make up ground for their mistake.

In the 654 years since it was completed, an enormous amount of time, energy, and money has been spent trying to compensate for a mistake that could have been fixed. It's hard to calculate how much has been spent managing a problem that could have been avoided entirely.

What Is Your Life Built On?

Here's the truth: many people do a similar thing with their lives. We try to straighten up what's leaning — relationships, habits, priorities, purpose, identity. What do we do? We work harder, make adjustments, add new disciplines. We try to compensate for the tilt.

But if we had just been willing to go back, strip some things away, and redo the foundation, it would be an entirely different story. Sometimes the issue isn't the visible structure — it's the foundation.

Here's what's true about every person in this room: at some point, our lives will reveal the strength of our foundation. At some point, the strength of our faith will be tested and will reveal what it's built upon.

So I want to ask you today: What is your life really built upon?

Sometimes we make Christianity out to be things it was never meant to be. Then somebody challenges a belief, or something doesn't work out the way we wanted, or God doesn't show up the way we think He should — and suddenly the whole tower comes crashing down. When in reality, we probably just built our faith on the wrong thing.

The Anchor of the Creed

That's why we've been returning to timeless truths — truth that has survived wars, plagues, and persecution. Truth that has stood the test of time. Foundational truths that have been sung in prisons, declared in palaces, and recited in churches across the globe for centuries.

I'm talking about the Creed.

The earliest versions of the Creed come from around 100 AD — very soon after the life of Jesus. People were asking, "How do we distill all that it means to be a Christian into just a few foundational truths?" Creeds aren't meant to describe everything a Christian believes, but the foundational truths upon which everything else is built.

Let's confess it together:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day, He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

When we read that, there's something in my spirit that just leaps for joy. It reminds all of us what the essential truth is — the main thing about what it means to be a Christian.

You might have grown up Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, atheist — all kinds of different experiences. But the point is this: if you are a confessing Christian, here's what it means. Are there other things about Christianity? Yes. But this is the main thing. And I believe the world would be better if Christians could keep the main thing the main thing.

A Soon-Coming King

The foundational truth I want to draw your attention to today is this line: He, Jesus, will come again to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

When you remember this was written between 100 and 150 AD, that line tells us that from the very conception of Christianity, believers understood the return of Christ is an essential doctrine of our faith. We have a soon-coming king. Jesus is returning.

And I believe we don't talk about the return of Christ enough — not the way we used to. If you grew up around church, people used to talk about it, sing about it, pray for it, long for it. But we don't talk about it much anymore, and we probably think about it even less.

Yet scholars would say this is one of the things Scripture talks about the most — perhaps the most discussed thing in Scripture:

• Approximately one in every 30 verses in the New Testament references the second coming of Jesus.
• 23 of the 27 New Testament texts directly reference the return of Christ.
• Jesus Himself speaks about it more than 20 times.

So if God's Word talks about it so much, how come we don't?

Why We Avoid It

One reason is that it's confusing — the end times, Revelation, the return of Christ. There's a lot of disagreement, and people think all kinds of crazy things. And let's be honest, it gets weird when somebody starts predicting the day, time, and hour Jesus is coming back. You're like, "I'm out."

I think the enemy has used all of that to make it confusing and divisive so that God's people forget about it.

For some of us, there's even a little fear. Maybe you grew up in a hellfire-and-brimstone church where the message about being ready got hijacked. Maybe you read the Left Behind books, and if you woke up on a Saturday and your parents were gone, you thought the rapture happened. For a while there was even a social media trend where parents left empty clothes on the floor so their kids would think they'd been left behind. That is not good. Don't do that.

The enemy uses these things to create fear. But as followers of Jesus, we should not be fearful about this conversation. This is something that gives us great hope.

I think the enemy wants to take our eyes off the return of Christ — to cause fear, division, and confusion — because he knows there is so much hope in this truth.

The fact that Jesus Christ will return to judge the living and the dead and establish a kingdom that has no end should be incredibly comforting. When He arrives, He's going to set all things right. There will come a day when Jesus will ultimately and exhaustively get His way in all things. The kingdoms, the systems, and the brokenness of this world will all be undone, and Jesus will establish a new rule and a new reign.

On that day, He's going to wipe away every tear from our eyes. Death will be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, crying, or pain. All these former things will pass away.

We have great hope that Jesus is coming back for His people and to establish His kingdom.

The Posture of Hope

One thing I wish weren't true about me — but is — is that I get really seasick. I want to be out on the boat deep-sea fishing, but it ain't good.

If you struggle with seasickness too, you'll remember this advice: "Don't look at the waves." When you're feeling sick, you lift your eyes. You look above the horizon and set your sights on something fixed, anchored, something that will not move. And when you do, you feel all of that a little bit less. It actually works.

When we think about the return of Christ, this is the picture. When we feel the turmoil and chaos of this world, the return of Christ is something we can look up above all of that and fix our eyes on. You feel the chaos of this world a whole lot less when you fix your hope on the return of Jesus.

If all you're doing is looking around you, there is no hope. So lift your eyes. Fix your gaze on something that's sure, anchored, and promised — and you'll begin to feel these waves a whole lot less.

This doesn't mean I don't have questions. I have lots of questions — about the afterlife, death, eternity, the return of Jesus, the signs of the times. But Jesus invites me to lift my eyes and fix them on His promise: His return.

The Disciples' Questions

Even the disciples had a lot of questions. In Matthew 24, they ask Jesus, "How are we going to know it's the end? When are You coming back? What should we look for?" These are some of the same questions I've asked, and maybe you have too.

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." (Matthew 24:4–8)

The disciples were looking for details — when, what nation, what ruler, what year. And notice: Jesus doesn't directly answer their question at all. He gives them not the answer they want, but the answer they need.

Warning One: Don't Be Deceived

The first thing Jesus says is, "Watch out that no one deceives you."

I'll be honest — I feel like a lot of people are deceived. When we get really worried about the headlines of the day and everything happening in the world, we can take our eyes off the promise we have from Jesus.

In other words, don't believe everything you hear. There will be a lot of opinions about this. Don't let false teachers, false prophets, or false versions of Jesus pull you away from the truth. So anytime somebody says, "I know Jesus is coming back on July 3rd, 2027" — don't be deceived. Jesus never said that. In fact, Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour.

But I believe the biggest deception is that the enemy has convinced us to be fearful of this, so that it's no longer our great hope. It is a beautifully comforting truth that Jesus is coming back to claim His bride.

In the last days, we should not be obsessed with speculation. Instead, we should be anchored to God's Word. If you want to avoid deception in this area, stay close to Jesus, stay grounded in the Scriptures, and go back to what Jesus says about these days.

Warning Two: Don't Be Alarmed

The second thing He says is, "Don't be alarmed."

As Christians, we should not be surprised when we see wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, leader against leader. Jesus warned us about all of these things. Why does He say don't be alarmed? Because followers of Jesus are not called to live in fear.

Every generation since the days of Jesus has looked at the headlines and wondered if the world was falling apart. And it is. Every generation has wondered, "Are we living in the end times?" Yes — Jesus said so. Every day since Jesus walked this planet, was crucified, and rose again three days later has been the last day. Every one.

So when the world feels like it's falling apart, don't be surprised. Don't be caught off guard.

Our hope as Christian people is not that things will get better. Our hope is that Jesus is coming back.

When you turn on the TV or scroll your feed and see wars, closed straits, and rising oil prices, Jesus says, "Yes, all that's going to happen. Don't be surprised. Don't be alarmed." If you put your hope and peace in the rulers, nations, and headlines of this world, you'll miss out every single time. But Jesus invites us to lift our eyes and look a little further.

Warning Three: Don't Be Unprepared

The third thing — and where Jesus spends most of His energy — is this: "Don't be unprepared."

We spend an enormous amount of time and energy preparing for things that may never happen — retirement, hurricanes, vacations, college. Things we hope will happen but aren't sure of. Yet many people are completely unprepared for the one event that's guaranteed to happen: Jesus is coming back.

In Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus keeps returning to one theme: Be ready. Stay awake. Be faithful. Live prepared.

The disciples wanted information about the future. Jesus essentially says, "I'm not going to give you information about the future, because I'm far more concerned with how you're living right now."

Think about most of the questions we ask God: "Lord, what's going to happen? How is this going to turn out?" Most of our questions are aimed at information about the future. And Jesus says, "No, no, no — I'm far more concerned about how you're living right now, about whether you're prepared for My return."

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42–44)

If you knew someone was coming in the middle of the night to break into your house, you'd be up, watching, ready. In the same way, be that alert, that aware, that watchful — because you don't know when He's coming back.

So the question isn't "When is He coming back?" It's "How will you be found when He does?"

Ready or Not

Our eight-year-old, Kinley, loves to play hide and seek. What's fascinating is that if you play twice in your own home, you're out of hiding places. But every time, she hides first and I count. In our house we count to 30 — that's a long time, and we don't have a big house.

I sit there counting: 28, 29, 30. And then what do we shout? "Ready or not, here I come!" What's the point of that announcement? If you haven't found your spot by now, you've got fractions of a second — because I'm on my way.

In a very real way, there's a heavenly countdown going on. I don't know if Jesus is going to count to 10, 30, or 100. Here's what I know: one day He's going to say, "Ready or not, here I come." And on that day, we need to be prepared.

The Pictures of Readiness

In the very next chapter, Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables to illustrate what He told them plainly in Matthew 24. Each one is aimed at helping make sure people are prepared.

1. The Ten Virgins — Be Pure, Lights Blazing

The first is the parable of the ten virgins who take their lamps outside the town to wait for the bridegroom. Don't get caught up in the words — they're a symbol of purity. So the pure people carry their lights out to wait.

Half of them are wise and bring enough oil; half are unwise and don't. The bridegroom takes longer than expected, and when he returns, the unwise ones' lights are no longer shining — so they miss out on the wedding feast.

The point: when Jesus returns, He expects us to be pure, with our lights blazing brightly for Him. And if He shows up and our lights aren't blazing brightly, it should cause us some concern.

2. The Talents — Be Faithful and Fruitful

The second is the parable of the talents. A master goes away and entrusts three servants with different amounts of gold — one bag, two bags, and five bags.

When he returns, the one with five says, "Master, I multiplied it to ten." The one with two says, "I multiplied it to four." But the last one says, "Here's your one bag back — I buried it and kept it safe."

Two servants were faithful because they multiplied what the master gave them. One was unfaithful because he hoarded it.

The point: when Jesus returns, He expects us to be faithful and fruitful — to take everything He has put into our lives (our time, talent, finances) and steward it for His honor and glory, so we can say, "Look, Master, look at all the fruit produced from what You gave me."

3. The Sheep and the Goats — Be On Mission

The third parable is more serious, because it's about judgment day — the day Jesus returns. Remember the Creed: "Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead." We love the "kingdom will have no end" part, but make no mistake — Jesus is coming to judge.

Jesus sits on the throne and separates the sheep from the goats. To the sheep on His right He says, "Enter the kingdom of God, because when I was hungry, you fed me; thirsty, you gave me a drink; sick, you cared for me; in prison, you visited me."

They ask, "Jesus, when did we do that for You?" And He says, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me." Every person you've served, it's as if you're serving Jesus Himself.

Then to the goats on His left He says, "Depart from me, because when I was hungry, you didn't feed me; thirsty, you didn't give me a drink; sick, you didn't care for me; in prison, you didn't visit me." They protest, "If we'd known it was You, we would have come." And He says, "If you didn't do it for the least of these, you didn't do it for me."

Here's an important clarification. Often only this one passage gets preached, but it's part of a much bigger context. So let's be clear: you can serve people with your whole life, but if you don't have a relationship with Jesus, you won't enter the kingdom of God. It's in the context of everything else.

Putting It Together

When Jesus returns, He expects to find His church:

• Pure, with our lights shining brightly, so no one can question who we're waiting for.
• Faithful and fruitful, multiplying the investment He's entrusted to us.
• On mission, serving everyone around us in the same way Jesus has served us.

The Invitation of Christ

So my question today is pretty simple: Are you ready for His return?

Here's the truth. If we are in Christ, His return should give us great comfort — a hope that is not confined to this world. We don't have to go up and down with the chaos of the day. We fix our sights on something sure, something eternal: the promise that Jesus is coming back. If we are in Christ, we should have more hope and comfort than anyone else.

But if we're not in Christ, the reality of His return should cause us great concern. Our heavenly Father, the rightful ruler of this kingdom, is coming back. He expects us to be prepared. To some He will say, "Enter into my kingdom," and to others, "Depart from me."

There are really only two appropriate responses to this word today:

1. If you're not in Christ, it's time to get your life right with God. Eternity is real, and tomorrow's not promised.
2. If you're in Christ, will we be ready? Lights burning brightly, faithful and fruitful, living on mission.

Are you ready for His return? Let's pray together.

For anyone who is a follower of Jesus but, if you're honest, has gotten a little drowsy or caught up in the worries of this world — today you're reminded that Jesus is coming again. God, may each of us be found faithful and fruitful, pure with our lights blazing brightly for You, and on mission — never missing an opportunity to serve those around us, because in serving them we recognize we're serving You. Prepare us for Your return.

And if you've never begun a relationship with God through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, today is your day. You can be sure today of your relationship with God, of eternity with Him, of your salvation. Pray this prayer with me:

Lord Jesus, I need You. Come into my life. Forgive me of my sin. Make me new again. And for the rest of my days, as best as I know how, I will live to honor You, because I want to be ready. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.