When will Jesus return, bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth? In every generation for 2000 years, Christians have asked this question. Especially in times of crisis or great cultural upheaval, we long to know when Jesus will put an end to all the violence and injustice and make all things right.

And Jesus’ first disciples were no different. For the last question they asked Him before His Ascension was not about their mission or ministry, but about Him restoring “the kingdom to Israel” (1:6). They were still thinking in Old Testament terms, expecting the promised Messiah to be a lot like David, ruling over a small area of what we now know as the Middle East.

But Jesus has much greater plans in mind, for He wants His disciples to spread the gospel not only to Jerusalem and Judea, but also to Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth (1:8). And how are we to do that? Not by standing around and waiting for Jesus to return and do the work of evangelism for us (1:11), but by being witnesses to Him, no matter what opposition or difficulty we may face. And to equip His disciples for ministry, Jesus promised that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (1:5), being filled with His power (1:8).

So, when is Jesus coming back? We don’t really need to know all the details of God’s plans (1:7). Instead, we need to spread the good news in every way we can, trusting the Holy Spirit to help people hear and understand it, bringing more people to faith in Christ as Savior and Lord – while there’s still time for all of us to repent and be saved.

Acts 1:1-11 (ESV)

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,
2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”