This could be the year! Could it? For what? Well, when Jesus comes back. His second coming as He promised. This year? Really? 2025? Could be. 50/50 chance. Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe better.

There was a time when I heard all kinds of predictions about Jesus’ soon return. Some chose a specific date and bet the whole house on it. How did it go? It didn’t. That false alarm should have mortified the folk who tried to foist that on the rest of us. At various times individuals and groups, some possibly well-meaning, played the prediction game, like using a Christian crystal ball or Ouija board to discover the answer to that biggest question. When?

In Matthew 24, Jesus is asked about that very topic–“…the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?'” (Matt. 24: 3). Pointedly, Jesus tells them to knock it off. Cut it out. Don’t even ask. Rather, all the signs and guesstimates are merely starting points of tough times–“And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray…All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.'” (24: 4-5, 8).

When you think things can’t get worse, well, you know. Jesus warns us not to be surprised that so-called believers fall away, rejecting their Lord. Betrayal will abound from unlikely sources, even friends and family. Religious leaders, who spout a good line, will be wolves in sheep’s clothing, lying through their false teeth to get as much moolah as they can wangle out of poor, unsuspecting types. Cover your wallet. Don’t give out your bank account number. So to speak. And this is good news?

Read the rest of Matthew 24. It doesn’t lighten up much, except that Jesus promises He will return. In the end, Jesus wins. And so will we with Him—through Him, because of Him, and by Him alone.

Well, this could be the year. Who knows? Only God does. So, let’s leave it with Him. He’ll bring Jesus back right on schedule–His schedule–never too soon, never too late, and right on time. That’s all we need to know. Are you okay with that? But keep looking up.

Lord Jesus, we look forward to seeing you face to face. Amen.