Christ Imminent Return

Driving into Akron on I-76 westbound there is a billboard indicating that the Lord will return on May 21. It makes me uncomfortable. Not because the day is soon, but because Jesus warned: no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven… (Matthew 24:36).

At the same time, world events are reminding us of the truth of the doctrine of imminence. It is the reality that Christ could return at any moment—and that we should live our lives in light of that reality.

During February, we have seen change sweep the Muslim world in the Middle East. Tyrants that have help power for decades have been swept aside in Egypt and Tunisia, and are threatened in Yemen and Libya. These changes remind us how quickly events can unfold in our world.

While we do not yet know how these will all turn out, it is easy to foresee staunch Muslim governments like the one in Iran taking root in Egypt an elsewhere. It is then easy to foresee an attack on Israel. Given the existence of nuclear weapons in both Israel and soon in Iran, and given the reluctance of our current government to intervene in the Muslim world, it is easy to see how these events could unleash many of the end-time events foresee in Revelation and elsewhere. This week our president rejected a "no fly" zone in Libya, for example. If a world war was brewing between Israel and its neighbors, who would step in to stop it today? It is not hard to see anyone stepping into that gap, and successfully defusing such a war, would have an instant credibility all over the globe.

My point is not to strike fear, or to set dates for Christ's return, but to remind us all that even if May 21 is not the day, we may well be very close to the return of Christ and the beginning of the Tribulation. Even if we are not, these events remind us it could all start at any time. Christ's return is truly imminent.