When Will Christ Return? Jesus Answers
When will Christ return? Explore what Jesus taught in the Gospels about His second coming, staying watchful, and guarding against deception.
See that no one leads you astray.
- Matthew 24:4 (ESV)
We do not know the date of Christ’s second coming. Jesus promises to return. But He gives His disciples no date to calculate. He gives them something else: a warning.
Whenever anyone asks Jesus about the end, His answer begins the same way. Not with a calendar. Not with signs. With the words: see that no one leads you astray. The disciples ask and hear it. The Pharisees ask and receive no date, and right afterward the disciples hear the same warning. The apostles ask just before the Ascension, and hear it once more.
That is no accident. Jesus knows what is coming. He knows many will speak in His name, announce dates, and do things that look like miracles. And He knows that some of His own disciples will follow them. That is why this article is a warning.
Three times the same question, three times the same answer
The conversation begins at the temple. Jesus announces that not one stone will be left on another. The disciples ask: when? And what will be the sign? In Matthew, they ask directly about Jesus’ coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:1-3).
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this conversation. Each a little differently. But on one point they agree completely. The first words of Jesus’ answer are a warning against deception.
| Gospel account | Question about timing and signs | First words of Jesus’ answer |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew | Matthew 24:3 | ”See that no one leads you astray” (Matthew 24:4) |
| Mark | Mark 13:4 | ”See that no one leads you astray” (Mark 13:5) |
| Luke | Luke 21:7 | ”See that you are not led astray” (Luke 21:8) |
Jesus could have said: in so many years. He could have started with wars and signs in the sky. Instead, He first tells them what to guard against. Only then does He speak about signs and His coming. Full accounts: Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21.
Not only on the Mount of Olives. The Pharisees ask, the disciples hear the warning
You might think this warning belongs only to that one conversation. It does not. To the question “when?” Jesus never answers with a date. And when He speaks to His disciples, He always adds a warning.
Luke records a scene in which the Pharisees ask when the kingdom of God will come. People who do not trust Jesus.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
- Luke 17:20-21 (ESV)
The Pharisees receive no date and no sign. They hear that the kingdom is already in their midst and that no one will point to it: “here” or “there.” Right afterward Luke marks a change of audience: “And he said to the disciples” (Luke 17:22). And the same motif returns, now explicitly as a warning about the day of the Son of Man: “They will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them” (Luke 17:23).
Just before the Ascension, the apostles ask one last time: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). His answer?
It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
- Acts 1:7 (ESV)
Disciples, Pharisees, apostles. Every time, the question “when?” is left without a date. And every time, the disciples hear the same thing: do not run after those who claim to know it.
Why does Jesus put this first?
Because the stakes could not be higher. Deception is not a small slip, like a wrong word in a prayer. It is losing Christ.
Jesus says plainly how far it can go:
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
- Matthew 24:24 (ESV)
Even the elect. Not outsiders, not the lukewarm. Those who consider themselves safe. The deception will come in His name (Matthew 24:5), which means it will come from people who sound like Christians. A deceived person does not stop talking about Jesus. They talk about a different Jesus and follow someone else.
A few verses later Jesus ties this to salvation: many false prophets will lead many astray, the love of many will grow cold, “but the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:11-13). To endure to the end means not to be pulled away. This is a fight for salvation, not an academic debate about dates.
That is why the warning comes first. Before you hear anything about signs, you must know that you can lose the One you are waiting for. And Jesus says it in advance, so that no one can claim they did not know:
See, I have told you beforehand.
- Matthew 24:25 (ESV)
Signs are not a calendar
Jesus speaks about wars, disasters, and persecution. But in the same breath He adds: “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6). It is easy to remember the first half and forget the second. Then every war becomes evidence for a particular year. And when the year passes, the next conflict takes its place.
The fig tree (Mark 13:28-31) teaches alertness, not arithmetic. Recognizing nearness is not the same as knowing a date. Every calculation of a year depends on assumptions Jesus did not supply.
About the date itself, He is unambiguous:
But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
- Mark 13:32 (ESV)
If the angels do not know it, no preacher will cross that line. Some try to get around it: “we do not know the day or the hour, but we do know the year.” That is not faithfulness to Jesus’ words. That is a way around them. From not knowing the date, Jesus draws one conclusion: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).
Hold on to the words of Christ
If the deception will come in Jesus’ name, there is only one defense: know His words and hold on to them.
If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
- John 8:31-32 (ESV)
This is not about suspicion toward everyone who speaks of Christ’s return. It is about testing every teaching against the words of Jesus Himself. When someone combines religious authority with the claim that they have just decoded the end, ask:
- Do they show the whole passage, or only the convenient sentences?
- Do they distinguish Jesus’ words from their own interpretation?
- Do they admit what they do not know?
- Do they allow questions, or immediately call them a lack of faith?
- Does this teaching draw you closer to Christ, or make you dependent on a person?
A confident tone, an enthusiastic audience, and plenty of quotations do not prove that someone is right. Neither does a miracle. Jesus said that false prophets would perform great signs. Nothing gives anyone the right to change the teaching of Christ.
The simplest defense is ordinary: open a Gospel and read the whole chapter before watching another commentary. How to Read the Bible can help. I write about how a deceiver can look like a savior in Before Christ Returns, the Antichrist Will Come.
Staying awake does not mean counting days
Jesus Himself explains what staying awake means. And not once does He mention tracking signs.
But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. […] But stay awake at all times, praying.
- Luke 21:34, 36 (ESV)
You can fall asleep spiritually without a single false prediction. All it takes is for everyday life to occupy the place that belongs to God. You can know everything about the end of the world and avoid reconciling with someone in your own home for years. Read more about prayer in What Is Prayer?.
Staying awake also has concrete content. In the parable of the servants (Mark 13:34-37), the master goes away and leaves them work to do. Faithfulness in what is entrusted: honest work, care for family, keeping your word. And in Matthew 24:45-51 Jesus sets the servant who cares for the household beside the one who beats his fellow servants because he counts on the master being delayed. Waiting for Christ therefore concerns how you treat the people who depend on you. That is a harder test than a debate about dates.
Wait with hope, but not naively
The warning is not all Jesus says about His return. He also says: “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). You do not have to feed on fear to take His return seriously. But you do not have to be naive to have hope either.
We do not know the day. We know the One who is coming. And we know His warning: see that no one leads you astray.
Frequently asked questions about Christ’s second coming
When will Jesus return?
We do not know the date. Jesus reserves knowledge of the day and hour for the Father and tells His disciples to stay awake (Mark 13:32-37). Anyone who announces a specific date claims to know more than the angels.
What does Jesus say when someone asks Him about the end?
He never gives a date, and He always warns His disciples against deception (Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8). He tells the Pharisees that no one will point to the kingdom “here” or “there” (Luke 17:20-21), and right afterward repeats it to the disciples as a warning (Luke 17:22-23). He tells the apostles before the Ascension that it is not for them to know the times (Acts 1:7).
Why is deception so dangerous?
Because it can reach even the elect (Matthew 24:24) and pull them away from Christ. Jesus ties it directly to enduring to the end and to salvation (Matthew 24:11-13). The defense is abiding in His word (John 8:31-32).
Do wars mean the world is ending?
No. Jesus says that wars “must take place, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6). News of conflicts does not allow us to calculate the date of His return.
How can I stay watchful each day?
Pray, guard the state of your heart, carry out your responsibilities, and treat people honestly. That is exactly what Jesus points to when He teaches readiness for His coming (Luke 21:34-36; Mark 13:34-37; Matthew 24:45-51).