Command 41: Await My Return
Study Question
Q: There is much debate about whether Christ will return before, during, or after the Great Tribulation. Regarding the Second Coming of Christ, what is the most essential question that we should ask?
A: The command to await Christ’s return, found in Matthew 24:42–44, does not instruct us to know when or in what manner He will return but rather to be ready for His return and to expect Him at any moment.
All the debate and division among believers over the timing of Christ’s Second Coming detracts attention from the great truths that we are to learn from this coming event.
This command makes it clear that no one knows the precise “hour” in which the Son of Man will return. He also warned that He will come at a time when we are least expecting Him—as a thief in the night. “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).
The fact is that Jesus will return, and this awesome event could take place at any moment. We must watch, pray, and be ready. Therefore, the most essential question to ask is not “When will Christ return?” but “Am I ready for Christ’s return?”
This study question and answer is adapted from the Commands of Christ, Series 6, book. For further study, this book may be purchased from our Online Store.