‘Return of Jesus’ book now available online
JEFFERSON CITY – A new book about Christ’s return is now available for purchase online.
The book, What Every Christian Should Know about the Return of Jesus, was authored by Rob Phillips, director of Ministry Support and Apologetics for the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), and published by the MBC’s High Street Press. The book is available in print and e-book editions at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1958988065.
An audio version is scheduled for release early in 2024. To learn more about Phillips’ many other books, as well as other works published by High Street Press, visit https://highstreet.press/titles/.
Earlier this month, I interviewed Phillips about his latest work. You can read the exclusive interview below:
Rob Phillips
BENJAMIN HAWKINS: You’ve written several books in recent years, covering a wide range of topics from Satan and the Trinity, to the afterlife, same-sex attraction and Islam, as well as other topics. What has been your goal in producing these books?
ROB PHILLIPS: “My goal for each book has been to provide a biblically faithful, readable, and relevant resource for Missouri Baptists to use in personal or group study. I’m very grateful to our executive director, Dr. John Yeats, for helping establish High Street Press, the publishing imprint of the MBC. He is a champion of our churches and greatly wants to see biblical literacy grow in all our congregations.”
HAWKINS: Which of these books have impacted you most deeply on a personal level? Why?
PHILLIPS: “I would say What Every Christian Should Know About Satan has had the most profound personal impact on me. Over the months of study and writing about the evil one’s different names and titles, I became more aware of his subtle attacks on me and on other followers of Jesus.
“Satan prefers a surgical knife to a bludgeon, and in tiny increments he keeps God’s people from enjoying their walk with Christ and from being fruitful citizens of his kingdom. For unbelievers, on the other hand, Satan blinds them to the truth of the gospel and thus keeps them bound in his realm of darkness.
“While there is much to fear from the evil one, we may be confident that Christ conquered him through his death, burial, and resurrection. Satan is a prowling lion, as the apostle Peter writes (1 Pet. 5:8), but he’s a lion on a leash, and his days are numbered. For this reason, we should not ascribe to him more power than he’s due, nor carelessly think he has no ability to do us great harm.”
HAWKINS: Your latest book is about “The Return of Jesus.” How would you describe present-day attitudes and feelings about this topic in evangelical culture? Why do we need to reflect on Christ’s return, especially in our particular context today?
PHILLIPS: “In today’s evangelical world, it seems that views of the end times trend toward one of two extremes. The first extreme is to become obsessed with every detail – especially the minutiae that we may never understand on this side of heaven. The other extreme is to avoid talking about the return of Jesus. Neither extreme is healthy.
“While there are several prominent views of Christ’s return – post-millennialism, amillennialism, historic premillennialism, and dispensational premillennialism among these – these views often focus on the minute details of the end times at the expense of the clear truths about which nearly all Christians agree.
“As followers of Jesus, we should reflect on Christ’s return for several reasons. First, Jesus promised to return, and both Old Testament prophets and New Testament authors write about the certainty of his return.
“Second, Jesus is returning in ways that exclude imposters. He’s returning personally, visibly, powerfully, and victoriously.
“Third, he’s coming to finish his redemptive work in us. He’s coming to establish his kingdom in fullness; resurrect and judge all people; glorify the saints; sentence unbelievers; cast Satan and demons into hell; and create new heavens and a new earth.
“Finally, Jesus warns us to be ready, because his return is imminent.”
HAWKINS: There are so many debates surrounding the end times. Should this prevent us from reflecting on Christ’s return? Is there actually more agreement than disagreement among Christians? Please explain.
PHILLIPS: “Debates about the end times focus mainly on the order of events. Is Jesus coming before the millennium, or after? Are we in the millennium now? Is the church going to be raptured prior to a time of great tribulation? Will the world be Christianized in order to properly welcome the returning Jesus?
“These are important questions. But, I think, the devil is in the details. He’s thrilled when we ruin friendships and split churches over arguments about the order of events. And that hurts our testimony to an unbelieving world.
“Throughout the history of the church, Christians have agreed on far more details of Christ’s return than we’ve chosen to fight about. We agree that Jesus IS returning; that his return is imminent; that he’s coming back personally, physically, visibly, powerfully, and victoriously; that he’s going to set things right by resurrecting and judging all people, casting Satan and demons into hell, and purging the fallen world in which we live of sin and its stain.
“These are the facts I prefer to talk about and write about. The disputable details are interesting – and important – but they shouldn’t divide us as the body of Christ, or distract us from the non-negotiable truths of his imminent return.”
HAWKINS: As you wrote this book, did anything surprise you about what Scripture teaches regarding Christ’s return, or did anything impact you in a unique way? Please explain.
PHILLIPS: “The most surprising development was how increasingly comforted I felt. Our world is a mess; there’s no doubt about it, and that can lead us to despair. But to look back at the first gospel – Genesis 3:15, where Yahweh promises a redeemer who will set everything right – and then to see how Scripture unfolds with God’s great story of redemption, gives me great confidence that God is keeping all his promises.
“When Jesus returns in power and glory, he will right every wrong, banish the wicked, reward the saints, and cleanse both us and our universe of sin and its stain. Even on my worst days, when the world seems hopelessly lost, these promises comfort me and urge me to look up, because my redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).”
HAWKINS: How can regularly reflecting on Christ’s return change our daily lives for the better?
PHILLIPS: “Reflecting on Christ’s return helps us better appreciate all he’s done for us already. God’s mission to save us comes in two great campaigns. The first campaign features the Suffering Servant – the incarnate Son of God, who took on flesh, lived a sinless life and offered that life on the cross to satisfy God’s wrath and extend to us his mercy. Christ’s death, burial and resurrection conquered Satan, sin and death for us. We are restored to a right relationship with God by faith alone in Christ alone.
“After ascending into heaven, two angels tell the gawking apostles, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven’ (Acts 1:11).
“This sets the stage for the second great campaign: that of the conquering King. While we wait for Jesus to return, we know that ‘this same Jesus’ will return in ‘the same way.’ What are we to do in the meanwhile? Jesus says, ‘Engage in business until I come back’ (Luke 19:13).”
HAWKINS: Do you have any other books in the works? What is the next topic you hope to explore?
PHILLIPS: “I’m working with High Street Press to help produce two other books from Missouri Baptist authors. The first is Encountering Christ: Meeting Jesus in His Seven I AM Statements by Dr. Eddie Bumpers, senior pastor of Crossway Baptist Church in Springfield.
“The second is Deep Dive Devotions for Families by Brad DeLaughter, Daniel Carr, and Martin Winslow.
“Both books are to be released in the coming months.”