Going Home

The Second Coming of Jesus is not merely another Christian doctrine. It is the blessed hope of God’s people.

In this sermon from Fannin County Seventh-day Adventist Church, the speaker reflected on the words of the song “The Midnight Cry” and the promise that one day we will be going home.

For Seventh-day Adventists, the return of Jesus is woven deeply into our identity. Yet this message gives us an important warning: it is possible to know the sequence of prophetic events and still fail to experience the daily spiritual readiness that Christ desires.

Jesus is not merely returning to complete a prophetic timetable. He is coming because the Father longs to gather His children and bring them home.

The Midnight Cry

The sermon opened with a musical reflection on the midnight cry and the moment when Jesus returns to call His children.

That message is especially meaningful to Seventh-day Adventists. The Second Coming is central to who we are. Our denominational name itself expresses the expectation that Jesus will return visibly, personally, and gloriously.

The Bible teaches that:

• Jesus will return in the clouds of heaven.
• The dead in Christ will rise.
• The living righteous will be changed.
• The angels will gather God’s people.
• Christ’s children will finally go home.

This is not religious imagination. It is the promise of Scripture.

The Advent Movement and 1844

The speaker looked back to the Advent movement of the nineteenth century.

William Miller and many others studied the prophecies of Daniel and became convinced that Christ would soon return. The message spread widely, crossing denominational and national boundaries.

People prepared earnestly for Jesus to come.

Yet the interpretation of the prophetic event was mistaken. When Christ did not return on October 22, 1844, believers experienced what became known as the Great Disappointment.

Revelation 10 portrays a message that was sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach. The expectation of Christ’s return was sweet. The disappointment was bitter.

A small group continued studying and eventually understood that the prophecy pointed not to Christ’s return to earth, but to a new phase of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary.

No One Knows the Day or Hour

Matthew 24:36 gives a clear warning:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man.”

The angels do not know. Human beings do not know. No preacher, theologian, prophet, or church organization has been given the date of Christ’s return.

The Father alone determines when the moment has come for Jesus to gather His children.

This should protect the church from date-setting and speculation.

Prophecy is given to build faith and prepare the character—not to encourage endless calculations.

Could We Miss the Point Again?

The sermon raised a searching question.

Could believers once again misunderstand the purpose of prophecy?

We may know about:

• A national Sunday law
• The final crisis
• The close of probation
• The time of trouble
• The death decree
• The final judgment
• Christ’s glorious return

These events are important. Yet merely arranging them in chronological order does not make us spiritually ready.

A person may think, “When this event happens, then I will get serious with God.”

But that may be too late.

The purpose of prophecy is not to give us permission to delay preparation. It is to lead us into present faithfulness.

The Signs of Christ’s Coming

In Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus three questions concerning Jerusalem, His coming, and the end of the world.

Jesus described the destruction of Jerusalem while also pointing forward to the end of time.

He spoke of:

• The darkening of the sun
• The moon not giving its light
• The falling of the stars
• The shaking of the powers of heaven
• The sign of the Son of man
• Christ coming with power and great glory
• The trumpet of God
• Angels gathering the elect

The Second Coming will not be secret or hidden.

It will be visible, audible, worldwide, and unmistakable.

God Is Still in Control

The world may appear unstable, but God has not surrendered control.

He continues to guide His church. He works through human history. He understands the past, present, and future.

Nations may make decisions. Rulers may exercise power. Society may seem to move farther from God.

Yet heaven’s purpose will stand.

At the right moment, the Father will say to the Son, “Go get Your children.”

Sons and Daughters of God

Second Corinthians 6 contains a beautiful promise:

“I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters.”

God is not merely seeking church members. He is gathering a family.

Those who respond to His call, separate from sin, and place their faith in Christ are received as His sons and daughters.

This is a term of love, belonging, acceptance, and adoption.

To be God’s child means:

• We belong to Him.
• We are loved by Him.
• We are received through Christ.
• Our names may be written in the Book of Life.
• God desires to seal us for eternity.
• He wants us in His kingdom.

The Second Coming is the Father bringing His family home.

The Father of the Prodigal Son

The sermon used the parable of the prodigal son to illustrate the Father’s love.

When the son returned, the father did not wait coldly at the house. He ran to meet him.

The son was dirty, broken, and ashamed. Yet the father embraced him and kissed him repeatedly.

This is the heart of God toward the repentant sinner.

The Father does not reluctantly tolerate those who return. He rejoices over them.

Even when the returning sinner fears future failure, the love of God continues to call, restore, forgive, and hold.

Jesus Is the Way Home

In John 14, Jesus promised:

“I will come again, and receive you unto Myself.”

Thomas asked how the disciples could know the way.

Jesus answered:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Jesus does not merely show the road home. He is the way home.

We do not enter heaven because we perfectly understand every prophetic detail. We enter through faith in Christ, surrender to Him, and the transforming work of His grace.

Prophecy should always lead us to Jesus.

Coming to Gather His Children

The sermon pictured the Father saying to Christ:

“Go get Your children.”

That sentence captures the tenderness of the Second Coming.

Jesus is not coming for strangers.

He is coming for those who know His voice.

He is coming for those who have trusted Him.

He is coming for those who have allowed Him to change their hearts.

He is coming for His sons and daughters.

Do You Know That You Are God’s Child?

The message then became deeply personal.

Do you know that you belong to God?

Do you have assurance that your heart has been changed?

Do you hear Christ’s voice and follow Him?

Are you resting in the hands of the Father?

Jesus said that no one can snatch His sheep from His hand. The believer’s assurance rests not in personal strength, but in the strength and faithfulness of Christ.

Yet this assurance must never become presumption. God’s children desire to reflect His character.

Evidence of Readiness

The speaker asked several practical questions:

• Is your heart born again?
• Do you listen for the voice of Jesus?
• Are you learning to overcome temptation?
• Are you separating from worldliness?
• Are you faithful in the circumstances of life?
• Do you love people as Christ loves them?
• Is the character of Jesus being formed within you?

We are not saved by perfect performance.

We are saved by grace through faith.

But saving faith produces surrender, obedience, love, and transformation.

Jesus Longs to Gather Us

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He wept over the city.

He compared His longing to a mother hen desiring to gather her chicks beneath her wings.

The tragedy was not that Christ was unwilling to receive them.

The tragedy was that they were unwilling to come.

Jesus still longs to gather His people.

His arms remain open.

His grace is sufficient.

His invitation is still being given.

Christ’s Coming Can Become Personal at Any Moment

The sermon warned against assuming that readiness can be delayed until a particular end-time event.

Life itself is uncertain.

A person may be young and still face an unexpected tragedy. The speaker recalled serving as a chaplain when a seventeen-year-old died suddenly after an allergic reaction.

None of us knows how long life will continue.

For each person, the opportunity to prepare may end before the final events unfold publicly.

That is why readiness must be a daily experience.

Take Two Steps Toward Readiness

The sermon concluded with a simple, practical challenge:

Take two significant steps this week toward being ready for Jesus.

Those steps may include:

• Reading the Bible more consistently
• Spending more time in prayer
• Seeking the Holy Spirit
• Repenting of a known sin
• Forgiving someone
• Becoming more loving
• Turning away from a worldly habit
• Rebuilding family worship
• Sharing Christ with someone
• Surrendering an area of life to God

The specific steps may differ for each person.

The important thing is not to delay.

Why This Message Matters

This message matters because the Second Coming is approaching, but none of us has been given the date.

We are not called to speculate.

We are called to prepare.

We are not called merely to watch events.

We are called to know Jesus.

We are not called merely to identify prophetic signs.

We are called to become God’s sons and daughters and help prepare others for Christ’s return.

Practical Application

This week:

• Ask God to show you where you need spiritual growth.
• Choose two practical steps toward readiness.
• Spend time in Matthew 24 and John 14.
• Examine whether prophecy is drawing you closer to Jesus.
• Seek assurance through faith in Christ.
• Repent promptly when the Holy Spirit convicts you.
• Love others as members of God’s family.
• Share the hope of Christ’s return.
• Live each day as though Jesus could return soon.
• Help prepare someone else to go home.

A Call to Go Home

One day, the Father will tell Jesus that the time has come.

The trumpet will sound.

The dead in Christ will rise.

The living saints will be changed.

The angels will gather God’s children from every part of the earth.

And the long journey through sin, sorrow, death, and separation will finally end.

We will be going home.

Closing Appeal

Do not wait for another prophetic event before surrendering fully to Christ.

Come to the Father today.

Let Jesus change your heart.

Take practical steps toward readiness.

And help prepare a world for the glorious day when Christ comes to take His children home.

Short Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and calling us Your sons and daughters. Prepare our hearts for the return of Jesus. Help us not merely to study prophetic events, but to know Christ, follow His voice, and reflect His character. Show us the steps we need to take this week, and use us to prepare others for the day when Jesus comes to take His children home. In His name, amen.

Discussion Questions

• Why is the Second Coming central to Seventh-day Adventist identity?
• What lessons can we learn from the Great Disappointment?
• Why is date-setting contrary to Christ’s teaching?
• How can prophetic knowledge become a substitute for spiritual readiness?
• What does it mean to be a son or daughter of God?
• What does the prodigal son reveal about the Father’s heart?
• How can someone have biblical assurance of salvation?
• What two steps can you take this week toward readiness?