Jesus came the first time to prepare the way for His return. To celebrate His birth without thinking about His return is like reading the first chapter of a book and then laying it aside. To ignore what God’s Word says about the return of Jesus Christ is like reading a mystery novel filled with clues about the ending, but failing to read the last chapter. What do you do with all of the information? Jesus came preaching about His kingdom, and He taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God tells us in His Word that at the end of this world, He will create a new heaven and a new earth, where He will live with His chosen ones forever!! But what happens before we reach that point? This, too, God tells us in His Word. In His letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus repeatedly declared, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Those who are given an ear to hear are those who are born again by the Spirit, who repent of their sins, and who believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life. These are given wisdom by the Spirit to understand the things God has revealed in His Word. As the Spirit revealed to a small remnant the events leading up to Jesus’ birth, so also the Spirit has revealed in God’s Word the events leading up to and surrounding Jesus’ return, the pouring out of His judgment upon mankind, the establishment of His kingdom during the Millennium and the culmination of this world as we know it … leading to eternal judgment for those who have not believed, but eternal life in the new heaven and the new earth for those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ. This we know: Everything will happen precisely as God says in His Word. Jesus says, “Be ready!” “He who has an ear, let him hear!”