Why Jesus Will NOT Return Before 2040

This is a short booklet I wrote in 2007 about why I believe Jesus won't be back anytime soon - with good reasons.

- o O o -

WHY JESUS WON’T BE BACK BEFORE 2040

by David Alley

Peace Publishing
PO Box 5137
CQMC, Queensland 4702
Australia
www.peace.org.au

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Contents

Foreword by John Alley
Chapter One The End Times
Chapter Two The Great Prerequisite of Christ’s Return
Chapter Three The Job at Hand
Chapter Four The Role You Must Play

Foreword – by John Alley

It is my pleasure to recommend this small book written by David Alley, my eldest son. When David submitted the manuscript to me, I was immediately gripped by its well written message, and especially motivated concerning its application. I knew immediately that this was a very important message, and I wanted everyone in Peace Apostolic Community and throughout the network of relationships we have in the world to read this message.

For years David has lived a disciplined and devoted life toward the work of Jesus Christ. During the course of his 10 years of pastoral ministry in Mount Morgan, he regularly led others to Christ, and then by the leading of the Lord developed various websites as a gospel ministry. Since December 2002, over 3000 people have acknowledged their acceptance of Christ through these websites. These new believers come from 105 different countries, including unusual locations like Madagascar and Mauritius, and Middle Eastern nations like Saudi Arabia and Iraq, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

In 2004 David was invited to Thailand to participate in the Lausanne Forum on World Evangelisation, specifically as part of the Media and Technology Focus Group. This gave David a chance to mingle with missionaries and missiologists from all over the world, and to hear and appreciate the needs and concerns that exist throughout the world and in the hearts of gospel workers.

When David says, as he does in this book, that he has a heart for the lost and for the nations, we should believe him. He has done more than most in caring about these needs that are very much upon the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ.

David knows well the burden that he shares in this booklet. I invite you to open your heart to it also.

John Kingsley Alley
Senior Minister
Peace Apostolic Community, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.

CHAPTER 1: THE END TIMES

On December 26, 2005 a violent earthquake shook the sea floor off the coast of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The event measured at 9.3 on the Richter scale, the world’s second largest quake in 100 years. As a result of this, a giant tsunami spread all around the Indian Ocean killing well over 150,000 people.

In the days following the tsunami, the Christian Media began proclaiming this as a major “end-times” event. I received a number of emails from contacts in other countries wanting to know my thoughts on the event. One man in the church where I pastor declared that it would not be long until Jesus comes back, “probably within ten years,” he said.

It’s not hard to see why people are thinking this way. The September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA were unprecedented and have changed the way the world thinks. Terrorism continues to spread. And when we consider global warming, the large droughts that many nations are facing, the terrible atrocities in Sudan and other parts of the world, the never ending quest for peace in Jerusalem, the war in Iraq, the AIDS epidemic and many other events, it does sound like a passage straight out of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24.

The fact that we are living in the end times cannot be disputed. In Acts 2:17 the Apostle Peter quoted the Prophet Joel saying “in the last days’, God said, ‘I will pour out my Spirit.” Obviously, the last days began sometime around the ascension of Jesus and continue today, with many events and happenings building up to the culmination of the ages… the return of Christ!

With this in mind we realize that the end times have been upon us for almost 2000 years.

Recent history adds another interesting perspective. In 1914 when Gavrilo Prinzip assassinated the Archduke of Austria, this started what was called “the war to end all wars.” But since then we have come to refer to this as World War One. At that time many believers were convinced that Christ would return at any moment, and were expecting Him to do so.

Since that time there have been an ever increasing variety of books on the subject of end-times prophecy and the return of Christ. Some of these books sounded good at the time but subsequent history proved them to be inaccurate; for example, there was a book called 88 Reasons Why Christ Will Return In 1988.

Regardless of what books you read, it is largely assumed by evangelical believers everywhere that the return of Christ is “imminent.” The vast majority of Christians today expect the Lord to return within 30 years, if not sooner.

I want to pose a question for the reader. Could it be that the return of Jesus Christ has been delayed? Is it possible that Jesus will not be back within 30 years? Is it possible in fact that Jesus may not be back within 100 years?

The purpose of our lives of course, is not to get involved in any end-times arguments, but to fulfill the challenging call of living a life of fruitful service for Jesus Christ. Beliefs we hold regarding the end times play a large role in just how we live. Once you have completed reading this booklet, you will be in a position to answer not only the question I have posed about Christ’s return, but also the question, how you are going to live in service to the King of Kings?

CHAPTER 2: THE GREAT PREREQUISITE OF CHRIST’S RETURN

We said that it has become common to believe that the Return of Christ is imminent. By this, it is meant that Jesus could come back at any moment, perhaps even this evening, and that each of us must always be ready for His return.

Jesus himself taught that we must be ready, but this does not mean that His return is imminent. Any of us could be taken to be with the Lord in an instant. None of us knows whether by accident, ill health or other incident just when we might be required to stand before the throne of Christ. That being so, we must all be prepared and ready for the judgment. However, despite the fact that Jesus taught us to be ready for His coming, this does not mean that His coming would be imminent.

This we know for certain, because Jesus himself told us that there is at least one prerequisite that needs to occur before He can return.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to
nations, and then the end shall come.” Matthew 24:14

Christ taught in Matthew 24:14 that before He would return, the gospel would be preached in all nations. Later in that same chapter Jesus described His return (verse 30-31), where all believers would be gathered together in the air to meet Him. Before this great “rapture”, however, the gospel must be preached to all nations.

Several years ago I was discussing this subject with some visiting brothers, and making this point, only to hear their objection: “But the gospel has already been preached in every country.” But, that is not what Jesus was referring to. Let me explain:

ETHNOS: People Groups

In the language in which the scriptures are written, the word commonly translated into English as “nations” is the Greek word “ethnos.” It is from this word that we have derived a number of our modern ideas about “ethnic groups” and “ethnic culture” and the like. Here is the Strong’s Bible Dictionary meaning for the word Ethnos:

G1484: ἔθνος - ethnos
A race, that is a tribe; specifically a foreign (non-Jewish) one:-Gentile, heathen, nation, people.

Properly understood, Jesus was not referring to countries as nations in the way that we understand them today; rather He was speaking about tribes, races and groups of people. Within the borders of every country today are many dozens, even hundreds of such distinct ethnic groups having varying languages and customs. Today we refer to these different segments of humanity as “people groups.” These are the “nations” that Jesus was referring too.

It has also become common today for believers to have developed a “rosy picture” of the state of world evangelization. They believe that all is going well on the mission field and that many are coming to Christ by means of satellite, radio and internet and that there is very little to do. We often hear reports of “thousands” of new believers in South America and marvel at the amazing stories of revival in China. In reality, the task of world evangelization is far from complete, as you will see in Chapter Two. But for the moment I want to explain the heart and love of Christ for the lost, and his command for us to complete the preaching of the gospel before His return.

Every Person Must Hear

“And He said unto them ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’,” Mark 16:15 (KJV)

Some Christians think so little about the lost that they think that a general spread of preaching ought to do the job. But the heart of Christ is that every person should have an opportunity to know Him and follow Him.

Imagine that a large epidemic was sweeping your city and the government paid for a massive immunization program. There was enough medication for everyone who needed immunization to be able to receive it. However some inhabitants of the city were unaware of the free medication, and so did not request it. What should the attitude be of the officials? It should be to inform them and to make every citizen aware of the life giving drugs, so that they could save as many lives as possible. In this scenario, just random public announcements would not be satisfactory at all.

This is the way that Jesus cares. He cares for each individual; that is why He commanded in Mark 16:15 that we should preach the gospel to “every creature.” Jesus wants every person to know and receive His love.

Suppose we arrive in a town which has never before heard the gospel. We schedule a meeting in a language that we speak, but which they don’t understand, and only a handful of people attend. Can that be classed as having properly preached the gospel? In the same way, beaming satellite television all over the world while millions of people do not even have electricity is not fully preaching the gospel either. The internet only reaches 11% of the world’s population. Radio programs are rarely in the languages of the people who are the most needy. There are also still thousands of people groups who do not have the scriptures in their own language, or if they do, those capable of making it understood to them are missing.

In Acts chapter 8 we read the story of the evangelist Philip and how when walking one day. he came across an Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch was reading from the prophet Isaiah about the suffering servant, a passage about the crucifixion of Christ, but did not understand what he was reading. Philip asked “Do you know what you are reading?” The eunuch replied, “How can I unless someone explains it to me.” Broadcasting and Media are important, but more is needed. People must be sent.

The Patience of Christ

The great prerequisite for Christ’s return has not yet been fulfilled. Christ cannot return today because thousands of people groups have not yet heard the gospel.

Take this passage for example:

“First of all you must understand that in the last days scoffers must come, scoffing and following their evil desires. They will say ‘Where is this coming He promised?’… But do not forget this one thing, dear friends… The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:3,4,8&9

The apostle Peter tells us in his second letter that the reason why Jesus is patient (longsuffering), i.e. delaying His coming, is so that more people can be given the chance to respond to the gospel and repent. It is because of Jesus’ great love that He has not yet returned. We can rejoice that we have a Saviour who is faithful, kind and compassionate, and cares for each of us.

So perhaps Jesus has not yet returned because we, His people, have not yet completed the important work He gave us to do. Will His people obey, and go preach His gospel? Will you say yes to His call and give your life for the gospel, so that others may know Him?

CHAPTER 3: THE JOB AT HAND

Taking the Gospel to the World:

In this chapter I will attempt to paint a picture of the scope of the great need there is for the gospel. The footnotes will direct you to helpful books and websites which can guide you further.

In the 1980’s there was a lot of talk about “unreached people groups.” In 1982 the Lausanne movement defined an unreached people group as “A people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize their people group without requiring outside assistance.”

In other words, if there is an ethnic group which does not yet have enough believers and resources to be able to reach its own people with the gospel adequately, it is considered to be unreached. According to Operation World, 21st Century Edition, a wonderful prayer guide, there are approximately 3,557 such groups remaining in the world. These are people groups that won’t hear the gospel on a radio, and whom satellite evangelism does not reach. These are peoples that need a messenger.

In addition, we have not considered the many thousands of other people groups which do have the resources to reach their own people, but are not actually doing so. There are still many great needs in these people groups too.

In the 1990’s the Joshua Project and other missionary groups were encouraging every local church congregation to adopt an unreached people group. As a pastor of a rural Australian church I began to research different groups in the world to choose for our congregation one such group we could adopt.

Finally we adopted an unique unreached people group who live in South East Asia. This people group is unusual in the sense that not only do its people speak a different language from their Asian neighbours, they are also geographically isolated, and have persecuted all attempts to reach them with the gospel. They have strongly resisted the very thing which can save them.

As a local church, we do pray frequently for these people. We send money to help a committed Christian couple who have recently started the process of scripture translation into their language. Every time there is a positive development, I have great joy in informing my congregation. Sometimes things go poorly, and we pray and intercede for them.

In the same manner, every church fellowship should adopt an unreached people group. If you are a pastor, I encourage you to consider, which people group will you adopt?

Unreached People Groups Are Everywhere

Let me now take you on a quick trip around to world to meet some of these people groups.

The Maldives is a beautiful tropical nation to which many people go on holidays, have a honeymoon. Behind the scene which the typical tourist sees is a vastly different and complex world. The Maldives is a Muslim nation within which it is illegal to be a Christian. All Christian materials, bibles and other literature are confiscated, any new believers are imprisoned and sometimes tortured, Christian radio is jammed, and any missionaries caught are expelled from the nation.

As of this writing, there are no churches, pastors or Christian leaders in the Maldives. In fact, there are only a handful of indigenous believers, most of whom are living outside the islands.

One Maldivian woman became a believer many years ago through an amazing story. She has since given many years of her life in translating the scriptures and has now completed the books of Luke, John, Acts and Genesis. We praise and thank the Lord that despite so many obstacles, the gospel is being translated into their language, Dhivehi. But at the moment, with things being the way they are, how are these Maldivians going to be able to read these scriptures? Who is going to reach them with the gospel?

The Maldives is truly an unreached people group, and while such groups remain, Jesus cannot return because the gospel has not adequately been preached.

Let us travel further meanwhile, to investigate the great need for the gospel elsewhere.

In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, in the nation of French Guiana, you can find the Arawak, Wayana, Palikur, Oyapi and Emerillon tribes, and others, who have yet to know of the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his book Operation World, 21st Century Edition Patrick Johnson says that “never has any permanent work been established among the inland tribes.”

Who is going to hear the call and preach the gospel to the Arawak?

Let’s travel to the nation of Turkey. 68 million people live in this country, mostly of Muslim belief. A mere 2000 indigenous Turks are today believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is going to take the gospel to the many people groups in Turkey?

In Western Sahara, a nomadic people, 100% are Muslim. Who would be willing to live the life of a nomad so that these people can hear the gospel?

In India alone there are 205 people groups with populations of 10,000 or more that have never heard the gospel. I wonder who will take the gospel to those people?

What about the 5000 inaccessible villages in the north of Madagascar?

In Japan there are still 9 large cities that do not have a single church. That is not to mention 77 other large cities that only have 1 church in each. And of the towns in the 15,000 to 30,000 population group, there are 1733 that do not have any churches. Japan is a nation in vast need of the gospel.

The vast majority of the towns and villages in the nation of Azerbaijan have no church, nor have they ever received the gospel.

What of Indonesia? Malaysia? The Eskimos? North Korea? Libya? Mongolia?

There are still 893 unreached people groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, and there are 425 unreached people groups in the remainder of Africa; all are still yet to truly hear of Jesus.

In the Tibetan/Burmese area there are some 276 people groups in this same dark position.

And what then of the rest of Asia and the Arab World?

China: A Nation of Peoples in Need

Let me also speak about the needs of China, the most populous nation in the world.

I had always thought that China was one part of the world that we didn’t need to worry about. After all, the greatest revival of all time is taking place in Communist China and millions of people are becoming believers. Whilst this is true, it also hides the great need that still exists.

China is home to 1.3 billion people, about 20% of the world’s population. This is a nation of over 400 people groups of varying religions, languages and cultures stretching from the Tibetan Plateau in the west, the deserts bordering Mongolia in the north and to the Pacific Ocean in the east. And in this teeming mass of humanity are 100 million special people who make up many of the minority groups in China which have the greatest need for the gospel. These people inhabit 63% of the land mass of China. Many of these people groups have their own language, culture and dress. There are a surprising number who have never heard the gospel once, nor ever heard that such a thing exists.

In Operation China Paul Hattaway, after 10 years of research into the people groups of China, compiled a list of 490 people groups, many of which need to hear about Jesus.

For example, the ‘A Che’ people group in Yunnan province, just above the Vietnamese border, is a group of about 36,000 people. This group presents a daunting challenge due to communication difficulties and their isolation. Not one of these people have accepted Christ as their Saviour… they have not been given the chance.

The ‘Alu’ is a small Chinese people group of only about 6000 people with their own unique language. Other Chinese have tried sharing the gospel with them, but because of the language barrier the Alu did not understand. Who is going to make the effort to learn their language so that they can hear about Christ?

Despite the great revival in China which has brought millions to Christ, there are still perhaps more than 1.1 billion people in China who are unsaved. This same Jesus who commanded us to “preach to gospel to every creature” cares about each and every Chinese, each and every African, each and every Arab, European and Latin American person, plus all others everywhere.

To ask my question again: Has the return of Christ been delayed? I believe that it has, because the love and patience of Christ wants everyone to be saved. But there is still one more question that must be asked:

What are you going to do for the sake of the gospel?

CHAPTER 4: THE ROLE YOU MUST PLAY

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” Matthew 24:45-46

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Matthew 24:44

Earlier I mentioned that many people are expecting Christ to return very soon. But because the gospel has yet to be adequately preached, I do not believe that Christ will return as soon as many think. Christ did instruct us to be ready for his coming however, and He did say that it would be at an unexpected time. He also taught in Matthew 24:45-46 that when he returns that he wants to find His servants “giving meat” at the proper time.

This meat is the word of God. For each of us to be properly prepared for the return of Christ, we must be saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and concerned with the condition of the lost. It is obvious from Jesus teaching in Matthew 24 that He will not return until the lost have heard the gospel (even though some reject it) and that when He does return He wants to find us busy at work feeding His people with the gospel, the Word of Life.

The Life Jesus Calls For

Being ready for His return means that we are to live a life in which we are involved in spreading the good news, just as He commanded us in Mark 16:15.

Now that being so, what role are you going to play for the gospel and the Kingdom of God? To ignore the lost is to ignore the heart beat of God.

It is essential that you go to God in prayer and ask Him: “What is your will for my life?” Then be willing to obey. Some will be sent out. They will have to learn new languages and sometimes live in primitive conditions. But it will be worth it for the salvation of those people.

Others will go as tentmakers: They will take up jobs in foreign countries and use their influence, example, prayer and words to change lives. There are nations like Saudi Arabia where such tentmakers (i.e. oil workers, divers, bankers and other professionals) can go and represent Jesus and His message of hope.

There are others who will be called to remote needy parts of their own nation, such as small towns like Urandangi. Urandangi is a remote Queensland town of about 50 people, half Aboriginal and half Caucasian. The town is split into two parts, the “black” camp and the pub where the “whites” hang out. Beer drinking is a big part of life out there.

Still others will go to live on remote islands and give their whole life to one group of people living on one island. There may be but 50 people; without your help they will never know Christ.

Many will stay home, working in jobs or business and raising money to support the propagation and work of the gospel. The money and gifts that God blesses us with are not for ourselves alone; it is so that we can be a blessing to others.

Being rich in pocket but stingy in heart is in fact a state of great poverty. We need to be “rich” towards God. Jesus once told a parable of a man who wanted to tear down his barns and build bigger barns. This example from Luke 12 is not the kind of example we should follow. That man was not rich towards God.

And there will be others who, perhaps unable to do any of these things, will give themselves to prayer, pouring out their hearts over people they cannot see, and over nations and places they may never visit. Their contribution is very important and powerful.

Ask yourself: “What contribution to the gospel does Christ ask of me?” And whether you are young, single, newly married, in midlife, or retired, you must seriously consider: “Is God asking me to GO?”

“Where will I go?” you ask. Wherever God sends you!

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14 (KJV)

You are now in a position to answer some questions. Please email me and share with me your answers.

David Alley
Peace Apostolic Community

References:
All statistics for this article were taken from the following sources.

Operation World, 21st Century Edition, Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk. Published 2001, Paternoster Lifestyle, Carlisle, United Kingdom.

Operation China, Introducing All the Peoples of China, Paul Hattaway. Published 2000, Piquant, Carlisle, United Kingdom. Copublished by the William Carey Library.

Additional Information & Resources

Operation World
http://www.operationworld.com

Operation China
http://www.ywam.org/books/operation_china.htm

Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization
http://www.lausanne.org

Bethany Unreached People Group Profiles
http://www.adoptapeople.com/

Some of the History of the Unreached People Groups Concept
http://www.ralphwinter.org/D/view.htm?id=123&section=5&part=4

Unreached People Group Directory
http://www.missionresources.com/upgframes-v.html

Further Unreached People Group Links
http://www.missionaries.org/Evangelism/Unreached_People_Groups/index.html

Peace Publishing
http://www.peace.org.au

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Why Jesus Will NOT Return Before 2040