You might be asking; how do you know Jesus is coming in 2018? It’s because He came in 2017, and every day since He went back to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). No, I am not talking about His second coming, the end of time. I am talking about our Lord changing the lives of people who respond to His message and dwelling within them.

While addressing the brethren at Ephesus, Paul told them, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height –to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-19).

Saints do look forward to when Christ does return so they can spend eternity in heaven, but due to faith they get to enjoy peace within the heart because of Christ being there. The lesson that needs to be learned is how that occurs. It isn’t so much “asking Jesus to come into your heart” as it is, what happens when you hear and obey His word.

This same idea is given to the church at Philippi, when the apostle told the brethren to have the same mind as Christ (Phil. 2:5). Those who think like Christ are not those who are possessed by the Lord and no longer think for themselves. It is those who know how Christ thinks, through His written word, and follow it. Only those who know Jesus would know what Jesus would do!

When we go into all the world and spread the gospel (Mk. 16:15), it is true that the message contains the 2^nd coming. However, mankind also needs to know that Jesus is very much alive and can dwell in the hearts of those who will walk by faith believing what the Son of God says. Since brethren can and do fall away (I Tim. 4:1; II Pet. 2:20-22), man is the one who decides to have Christ dwell within them, or depart. 

Knowing all of this we can say with confidence that Christ is coming in 2018 for anyone who will accept His teachings and obey them.

Chuck