When Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, that was not the last time He would be on earth. When will Jesus return?
Jesus lived here on earth 2,000 years ago. He was crucified for our sins, and on the 3rd day, He rose again! After appearing to His disciples and many others, He rose into heaven.
But the wonderful news is that the Bible says Jesus would return! How would He return -- and when?
There are really two answers to this question. In a spiritual sense, Jesus lives here on earth now in the lives of all true believers in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes and lives in our lives when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and yield our lives to Him. So one answer is that Jesus is here right now in millions of lives throughout the world. That is one reason the church is called the body of Christ -- Jesus Christ living in us spiritually.
But there is another answer -- Jesus Christ will Himself return to earth in bodily form one day.
When will that happen? No one knows the exact time, but the Bible gives us many clues. Jesus, Himself told His disciples, when they asked when He would return, that no one knew except His Father in heaven. So beware of people who may tell you they know when Jesus will return!
The Bible does, however, give us many clues. These can be found in a number of books, including Revelation and Matthew chapter 24. Many people believe that, according to the Bible, some of the clues are: The Jewish people, who were scattered among the nations, would come back to Israel. The Jewish people would occupy Jerusalem. The gospel would be preached among all nations. These 3 clues are being fulfilled, at least in part, even now.
So when will Jesus return? Many of the clues say it could be soon, but we truly do not know. A day to God is as a thousand years, so let us live as if He could come tomorrow but plan as if He might not come for many years!