The Event of a Lifetime

Have you ever missed a once-in-a-lifetime event? I did. But there’s one incredible event coming that I definitely don’t want to miss!

On Oct. 17, 2012, an important historical event happened.

Well, that’s what everyone was telling me anyhow. It was on that day that President Barack Obama visited Ohio University and delivered a speech.

As you can probably imagine, most of the students and staff were excited to be given the opportunity to see the president. To them, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event! Many of them even declared that this was a historical occasion. After all, the university hadn’t been visited by a U.S. president since Lyndon B. Johnson came to the campus in the 1960s.

The line to see the president started seven hours before the event. Students with part-time jobs were getting off work; classes were either canceled or skipped. Everyone was excited to see the president.

Me? I was still trying to catch up after being gone for the Feast of Tabernacles, so I was trying to stay on the other side of town where there weren’t any crowds.

“The Event”

I heard one of the university employees refer to the visit as “The Event.” What made this one particular visit so eventful? People visit the campus all the time, and you never hear about most of them.

So, what made “The Event” so popular? Simply put, people wanted to see someone who was deemed important—someone who has power. It has been said that the president of the United States is the most powerful man in the world. Even in a state of decline, the United States is still a formidable power—economically, militarily and culturally.

So, I missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the most powerful man in the world. That doesn’t really bother me. However, there is one event that I will not—cannot—miss.

I have to be there!

Watching a visiting president give a speech can be special, but it’s generally not a life-altering event. However, there is one world ruler who will come and make a difference in the lives of every human being on the earth. He won’t just make a speech and be gone in a matter of hours. He will be here to stay and to make a difference in the lives of everybody.

That ruler is none other than Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ, the Son of God who walked the earth 2,000 years ago, will return to the earth (Acts 1:11; Revelation 11:15).

He’s not just going to come back, but He’s going to bring the Kingdom of God with Him! He won’t make a campaign speech and then leave like every human leader does. He will bring about change and create a peaceful world where we will all feel safe and there will be no danger (Isaiah 11:1-9). People won’t just see Him and forget what He says. They will eventually come to take every word He says and apply it to their lives (Matthew 4:4).

The apostle Paul gives us some additional information in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. God’s people will be resurrected and meet Him in the sky as He comes down to the earth—along with those who are still alive when He returns. Later, everyone else who has ever lived will also be resurrected and given a chance to live God’s way of love (Revelation 20:11-12).

Jesus Christ’s return is “The Event” that I want to attend!

Better than the rest

Christ’s return and the Kingdom of God He will restore are so much better than anything mankind can come up with.

The U.S. president is seen as the most powerful man in the world partially because he can release thousands of nuclear weapons that could destroy the world. Well, with a mere thought Christ can cause the world to simply cease to exist—and then create it all over again. Christ has no limits on His power.

Christ’s Kingdom is also far more powerful than the United States of America, as great as it is, could ever dream of being. As God reveals through the prophet Daniel, God’s Kingdom will stand forever (Daniel 2:44). The United States has lasted for 236 years. That’s like comparing the time it takes to blink to a whole lifetime—there simply isn’t much of a comparison. Not only will the Kingdom last longer, but it will be better than the United States in every way.

The apostle John said it best in Revelation 22:20 after Christ said He was coming quickly: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

Christ’s return will be the event of a lifetime. I did not go to see the president, but I definitely plan to see Christ when He returns.

What about you?

Joshua Travers is a freshman at Ohio University. He attends the Athens, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, with his family.

For more about Christ’s second coming and His Kingdom, see the section on the “Kingdom of God” on the LifeHopeandTruth.com website.