The purpose of prophecy is to bring people back to honour God's covenant and to declare His intentions, so that when He acts in power people will know that it is His hand at work. Those who trust His Word in advance will rejoice, and those who have resisted His Word will mourn. The first coming of Jesus was prophetically announced in different ways: Elizabeth (Luke 1:45), Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) and Anna (Luke 2:38) rejoiced while Herod (Matthew 2:16-18) mourned. It will be like that at the end of time when Jesus returns.
 
Jesus' Second Coming will be a unique event with nothing to prepare us except His Word of prophecy and the Holy Spirit-inspired writings of the Apostles. We do not know exactly what the sign of His coming may be but it will be unusual and unmistakable to those who are looking for His return. Peter describes a cosmic catastrophe (2 Peter 3:10); Paul describes a loud sound of trumpets and commands (1 Thessalonians 4:16), as Jesus first described in these verses.
 
Biblical prophecies say that the date of His return is unpredictable and the event will be very sudden. Their purpose is to draw all God's covenant people to Jesus, to be with Him for ever. That is the end-point of all God's plans for this world, not to save the planet but to save people out of this world, the people who love, honour and serve Him – to share His glory for all eternity (2 Thessalonians 2:14). Only He has the power to make this happen: it will definitely happen because Jesus has said so.
 
The promise of Christ's return is the hope of the church. It continues to provide: comfort in suffering, encouragement in persecution, urgency in evangelism, determination in cross-cultural mission, a reason for holiness, discipline in lifestyle, a purpose in living and confidence in dying. This promise is also a reason to worship, knowing that our Lord will never abandon us but take us to be with Him (John 14:2-3). He will gather all His people together in His home; all those who are trusting in His sacrifice and not resisting the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you, if you are in Christ. It should be the focus point on your life's horizon and a refreshed motivation for godly living and courageous witness today, despite whatever dark circumstances may surround you.