1But know this: that in the last days, grievous times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, 4traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding a form of godliness but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also. 6For some of these are people who creep into houses and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith are rejected. 9But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be.
10But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, 11persecutions, and sufferings—those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all. 12Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 15From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 17that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Focus on the What - Not on the When
Christ Returning in the Clouds
Throughout the ages, believers have had an interest in the timing of Christ’s return. If we study the scriptures, we see that He repeatedly tells us that He is coming back. That is a certainty. I know in my own case, part of my desire for His return is that I might not have to experience physical death someday. Sometimes when we see suffering and misery in the world, we just wish that He would come back and set it all right. I can AMEN the statement “Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). Yes, believers have always had a keen desire to know when He will return, and that is understandable. However, there is a danger in trying to pinpoint when He will return. He tells His disciples that there will be signs before His coming, but no specific time is given. He specifically says that only the Father knows. Some people have put the business of living in the present on hold as they expect Jesus to come in the next few weeks, months, or even years. They are laser-focused on the specific “when” instead of living out their lives to walk in the Spirit doing the “what” that the Bible tells us to do while we wait.
Jesus never instructed us to radically alter our daily behavior and activities in anticipation of His return. Instruction after instruction is given by Paul as to how we are to live our lives, with no mention of whether this should change in any way based on Christ’s imminent return. The truth is that we’re just supposed to be doing what we’re supposed to be doing, whether He is coming in ten minutes or in ten thousand years. We are just told to be ready. We are told to have our lamps filled. I think “being ready” means to be living each day directed by the Holy Spirit and acting on the tasks that He sets before us. Don’t put life on hold. Go to school. Get an education. Pursue a career. If God provides a spouse, get married. If you’re married and have kids, pray for them and teach them to work hard and to love Jesus. Raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Love your neighbor. Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God. The Bible says a lot about how we are to live REGARDLESS of when Jesus will return. Don’t get sidetracked from living out your life according to the whole counsel of God’s Word. Sitting and waiting is not a biblical option.
Jesus did give some clues to His disciples about "birth pains" that would precede His return. The world will steadily move toward becoming a more lawless and godless place. Near the end of times, Paul tells Timothy “ 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy...(see 2 Timothy 3:2-5 for the whole list). That certainly looks a lot like the current progression of things. That’s okay. God is sovereign. He is working His purposes out. So, what are we to do? We are to jump into life and be the salt and the light to the world around us. Get involved with your neighbor. Share the gospel with enthusiasm. He is coming again! Don't neglect the here and now, but don't become too attached to it either. We don’t know when, and we don’t need to know when. The best way to prepare is to live each day to its fullest, led by the Spirit, and be the salt and the light to the world. Don’t be too concerned about the “when”. Focus on the "what". Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows when that will be.