From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

Jesus is coming back.

Acts 1:9 

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven,  will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Matthew 24:42 

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 

Matthew 24:44

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Revelation 3:11

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown

Revelation 22:12

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

Revelation 22:20 

“Yes, I am coming soon.”

soon- tachy = By surprise, suddenly.

Matthew 24:36

About that day or hour no one knows,not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

We can’t know the exact day, but we can see signs and understand the season He will return. 

Luke 21:25

There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars…

Cosmic disruptions

Luke 21:25b

…On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

In 2024, we had 45 major hurricanes globally—the most ever recorded in a single year.

Luke 21: 26

People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world…

• Gen Z has been called “the most anxious generation ever.

• Over 50% of teenagers today say they feel persistently sad or hopeless, and 1 in 5 have considered suicide.

• A 2024 Gallup survey revealed that the Global Negative Experience Index hit its highest score in history.

• Searches for “panic attack symptoms” recently hit record highs on Google.

Luke 21:26b

…for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

US Geological Survey:

• In 1973, there were about 4,500 earthquakes worldwide.

• By 2000, that number jumped to 19,100.

• In 2010—it rose again to over 23,000.

• In 2013—just three years later—we hit 89,600 earthquakes.

• In 2024, there were over 144,000 earthquakes.

Revelation 11:9

For three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies.

Matthew 24:14

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

More people have come to Christ in the last 50 years than in the previous 1,900+ years combined since Jesus rose from the dead.

The gospel is actively growing in 173 out of the 193 nations on earth right now.

74% of Gen Z Americans want spiritual growth, and 83% believe there’s a spiritual or supernatural dimension.

What do we do?

Luke 21:28

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

1. Stand Up

stand up - anakyptō = to rise up with courage.

“He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

2 Timothy 4:1

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom

Acts 10:42

He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Are you alive in Christ?

Or are you still dead in your sin?

Did you accept the gospel of Jesus or Did you reject the gospel of Jesus?

Ephesians 2:4–5

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, sins made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

Colossians 2:13–14

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Real life in Christ is found in real surrender to Christ.

You’re not just acknowledging who He is but your entrusting who you are completely to Him

You actually find life, when you surrender it to Jesus.

John 5:24

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

That’s the dividing line.. when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead. It won’t be about religious performance—it’s about: Did you accept what Jesus did for you—or did you reject it?

And if you’ve accepted—you can stand up.

You don’t have to be afraid and don’t have to dread judgment because your judgment has already happened.

It happened at the cross.

The courtroom–Calvary.

The verdict–Guilty.

The sentence–Death.

And Jesus took it all of it for you!

If you’ve accepted Jesus, when He comes again to judge the living and the dead— He’s not coming to punish you. He’s coming to gather you.

2. Lift Up Your Head

Luke 21:28

…lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

This is a call to change your perspective.

Lift Up Your Head = Stay Alert

Mark 13:35

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming— in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Don’t let the darkness cause you to fall asleep on your assignment.

Ephesians 5:14–17

Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Lift Up Your Head = Do Jesus Business

Luke 19:13 

Do business until I return

We’re called to live with urgency.

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind…

Am I ready? And who around me isn’t?