Jesus is coming soon! How many times have we heard the Jesus is Coming Soon warning? It seems like every generation believed that Jesus was coming “soon” during their own lifetime. Then, after that generation passes away, a new group of Christians rise up calling people to “repent” and to “be ready” because Jesus is coming soon. So the question that comes to mind is will Jesus return soon?
It’s interesting to watch some of the greatest men and women of God make these declarations. Time and time again people claim God speaks in these “prophecies” never seem to come to pass and it has challenged me to study further.
If Jesus return is really soon, and God’s kingdom is coming soon, how soon is soon? Could all of these men and women of God be so off in what they were hearing from God? These are some mighty men and women of God we are talking about.
Is what we believe even true or did we mis interpret something somewhere along the way?
This has also had a major impact on Evangelical Christianity. Some popular teachers and preachers steer far away from this topic because it’s just way to controversial (and I honestly believe they don’t want to be wrong. It hurts the bottom line).
After speaking with hundreds of Spiritual leaders from all over the world, I have come to find out that their conflict is what seems to be the the facts, isn’t necessarily aligned with what they currently believe. So we just ignore the topic.

“Say what you like,” we shall be told, “the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, ‘this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.’ And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else.”
It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. Yet how teasing, also, that within fourteen words of it should come the statement “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance grow side by side.
That they stood thus in the mouth of Jesus himself, and were not merely placed thus by the reporter, we surely need not doubt. Unless the reporter were perfectly honest he would never have recorded the confession of ignorance at all; he could have had no motive for doing so except a desire to tell the whole truth. And unless later copyists were equally honest they would never have preserved the (apparently) mistaken prediction about “this generation” after the passage of time had shown the (apparent) mistake.
C.S Lewis, “The World’s Last Night” (1960)
The conclusion that C.S Lewis had come too can be summarized like this. I know what I believe, but I also know what the Bible says. Jesus had made it perfectly clear that He was coming during their lifetimes.
I find that fascinating. Some may disagree with this assessment and that’s fine but it seems like every generation seems to miss the mark on the timing of the events in the Bible.
Why is that?
I believe I know. Simply put, we have done a great disservice to the Bible and the Gospels of Jesus by trying to make the time statements mentioned in the Bible mean something that they don’t. Let’s break this town so you can see what I mean.