Daddy's Home: Jesus' Return and the New Creation

The longing for home points deeper than an earthly house or even an earthly father. Every human heart longs for the Father and for the day when all that is broken gets made right again. Pain, death, grief, temptation, broken relationships, and the evil that seems to get the upper hand all make this world cry out, “There’s gotta be more than this.”

The biblical story is bigger than escaping earth and going to some far-off place. God’s plan has always been restoration, restoring human hearts, human bodies, and all creation that he called good. Jesus will return, and “daddy will be home.” That day will not be about getting the details right on how high the clouds are or how somebody gets caught up. That day will be about being with King Jesus forever.

Paul tells the Thessalonians that the Lord himself will come, the dead in Christ will rise first, and believers will be changed. The Christian hope is not merely spiritual survival after death. The Christian hope is resurrection: real bodies made imperishable, like the resurrected body of Jesus, with no more sickness, pain, sorrow, or death.

Paul’s picture of meeting the Lord in the air carries the image of a city going out to welcome a returning king and ushering him home. Heaven and earth are coming together. John sees the New Jerusalem coming down, and God’s dwelling place coming among his people. God does not abandon creation. God comes to dwell with humanity, just as he came in Eden, to Abraham, Moses, Israel, the tabernacle, the temple, the manger, the baptism of Jesus, Pentecost, and now through the Holy Spirit living in believers.

Revelation promises that God will make everything new, not simply make all new things. Every part of creation touched by the curse of sin will be healed and made whole. Yet Revelation also gives a warning: not everybody shares this future. God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness are real, but God’s judgment is real too. Readiness means turning from sin, trusting Christ, obeying him, and refusing to be ashamed of the gospel.

Jesus compares his coming to Noah’s day, when the wicked were taken away in judgment while Noah and his family remained in the ark. The call is not fear-driven speculation but faithful readiness. Death does not get the final word. Cancer does not get the final word. The grave does not get the final word. King Jesus gets the final word, and the resurrection is coming.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Daddy’s coming to make things right The Father’s return is the answer to the deep ache carried in every broken place. God does not look at grief, pain, and death as permanent features of his world. King Jesus will come home to his creation and set right what sin has shattered. [37:55]
• 2. Resurrection means more than surviving death Christian hope rests on bodily resurrection, not on becoming an angel or floating forever as a spirit. Jesus rose physically, and those who belong to him will receive imperishable bodies like his. Death may take the body for a season, but it cannot keep what belongs to King Jesus. [45:37]
• 3. God always comes toward his people God came to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Israel, and finally came in flesh through Jesus Christ. God still comes by his Holy Spirit to dwell in hearts that repent and trust him. The whole story of Scripture says that God is not far away from those who call upon him. [48:36]
• 4. God will make everything new God promises more than an escape from a ruined world. God will renew creation, relationships, bodies, and every place touched by the curse. The words “everything means everything” give suffering a limit and redemption a final victory. [52:22]
• 5. Readiness requires faithfulness to Jesus Jesus’ return calls for more than curiosity about end-time charts and popular ideas. Faithfulness means repentance, courage, obedience, and refusing to be ashamed of Christ before others. The day of salvation is not someday when life becomes more convenient, but today when God’s voice is heard.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [33:04] - Daddy’s Home
• [34:33] - The Longing for the Father
• [36:37] - More Than Escaping Earth
• [39:33] - Questions About Death and Eternity
• [41:04] - The Lord Himself Will Come
• [43:59] - Welcoming the Returning King
• [45:08] - The Dead in Christ Will Rise
• [47:00] - Heaven and Earth Joined Together
• [48:36] - God Always Comes to His People
• [52:22] - Everything Will Be Made New
• [54:23] - A Promise and a Warning
• [58:11] - Noah’s Day and Readiness
• [61:43] - Today Is the Day of Salvation
• [63:51] - Daddy’s Home Forever

1. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” [41:16]
2. “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” [42:33]

1. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” [47:20]
2. “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” [47:33]
3. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’” [47:50]
4. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” [53:06]
5. “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” [53:23]

1. “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,” [45:33]
2. “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” [45:40]
3. “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” [45:51]

1. “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” [58:26]
2. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,” [58:52]
3. “and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” [59:29]
4. “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.” [01:00:19]
5. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.” [01:00:37]
6. “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” [01:00:49]

1. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, what events happen when the Lord comes, and in what order does Paul describe them?
2. What words in Revelation 21:2-5 show that God’s future is about coming to dwell with his people rather than abandoning them?
3. According to 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, what happens to both believers who have died and believers who are alive when the trumpet sounds? [45:08]
4. In Matthew 24:37-42, what were people doing in Noah’s day, and what does Jesus tell his followers to do because they do not know the day of his coming? [01:01:13]

1. Why does Paul emphasize that “the Lord himself” will come and that believers will “always be with the Lord”? How would that have comforted Christians grieving loved ones? [43:25]
2. Revelation says the New Jerusalem comes down and God’s dwelling place is with humanity. How does this shape the Christian hope differently from simply escaping the world? [48:00]
3. What does it mean that believers will receive imperishable and immortal bodies? Why is bodily resurrection a fuller hope than merely surviving as a spirit after death? [46:24]
4. In Jesus’ comparison to Noah’s day, the flood “swept them all away.” How does the larger Noah story help explain Jesus’ warning to stay awake and be ready? [01:00:01]

1. What broken place in life—grief, sickness, strained relationships, temptation, fear, or injustice—makes you long for God to make all things new? How does Revelation 21 speak hope into that place? [52:57]
2. Death, cancer, and the grave do not get the final word; King Jesus does. Is there a loss or fear that you need to place under that truth this week? [01:02:46]
3. God has always moved toward his people, and the Holy Spirit now lives in believers. How might remembering that you carry God’s presence change a specific conversation, choice, or habit this week? [51:15]
4. Jesus’ return calls for readiness, not fear-driven speculation. Is there an area of sin, compromise, or delayed obedience where you need to turn back to Jesus today? [01:02:30]
5. Being ready includes refusing to be ashamed of the gospel. Where are you most tempted to keep quiet about your faith—in your family, workplace, school, or friendships? What could faithful courage look like there? [55:11]
6. If Jesus could return at any time, what practices would help you stay awake spiritually—prayer, Scripture, repentance, worship, serving, or sharing your faith? Which one is God inviting you to strengthen this week? [01:03:13]