When Jesus was arrested and brought before the Roman authorities, His accusers had no valid legal complaint to bring against Him. But the religious leaders desperately wanted to kill Jesus to put a stop to His ministry, as they felt that He was misleading people and was a serious threat to their own position of power over them.
59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, 60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” Matthew 26:59-61 (NKJV)
Jesus actually did say this to His disciples, but He was symbolically referring to the death and resurrection of His own body as the temple of God, rather than the Temple building in Jerusalem. In saying this, Jesus was making another kind of prophecy. He would lay down His life, then rise from the dead three days later, and shortly thereafter, God would pour out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, gifting the Spirit to all believers. Hereafter, God would reside through the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers around the globe rather than in a single physical structure in Jerusalem. In fact, the Temple would be destroyed by Titus and the Romans only forty years later.
At His trial, like a lamb before his shearers is silent, Jesus did not reply to their false accusations and insinuations.
62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:62-64 (NKJV)
Here, Jesus was quoting from the prophet Daniel, who foretold of the second coming of the victorious Messiah, approaching the Father, the Ancient of Days, to be given glory and an eternal kingdom. He will ultimately reign over all the peoples on the earth from David’s throne in Jerusalem.
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14 (NKJV)
The religious leaders became even more furious, fully understanding Jesus’ quote, and demanded that the Romans put Him to death at once. With the strong encouragement of the crowd, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death. Jesus was then beaten and went to the cross, as the Scriptures foretold, but not without first putting an emphasis on His second coming and all the yet unfulfilled prophecies regarding the end times when He will return to earth in glory, power, and all authority.
Many have scoffed at the idea of Jesus’ return, citing the many centuries that have passed since He walked the earth. But the Old Testament prophecies give us some guidance and context here. Many prophecies about the Messiah were given almost a thousand years before Jesus came, and those given by Moses were much earlier than that. Abraham’s foreshadowing of Christ’s death with Isaac on Mount Moriah came over 1,500 years before Jesus. It would seem that when God sets a timetable, long periods of time before its fulfillment are in no way unusual. The long time that has passed since Christ ascended into heaven is in no way evidence against His return – it fits with God’s established pattern.
We do know one thing for sure about Christ’s return. As Jesus told His disciples:
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:44 (NKJV)
And He will be coming on the clouds of heaven.
Reflection
There have been many worldwide crises and conflicts that would have have seemed to be an appropriate time for Christ to return. Yet, these were not the times chosen by the Father to bring in Christ’s kingdom. We will not know the day nor the hour of His return, but we do know that He is indeed coming. Be it this year, next, or five hundred years from now, it is a fact that Jesus Christ is coming back to establish His global and righteous eternal kingdom. Let us all be there!
Lord, help us to be ready for Your return, whenever it may be. Teach us to live in uninterrupted fellowship with You, totally devoted to Jesus twenty-four hours each day. Help us to fall more and more in love with You, and to reflect Your holy character and purity to those around us, resisting all temptations of evil. We ask this in Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 