Are We In The Season of Christ’s Return?

by Donovan Sabog on August 27, 2026

SCRIPTURE:

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near

Revelation 1:1-3

 

OBSERVATION:

Imagine you were the coach of an NFL team who made it to the Super Bowl. It's the fourth quarter with 3 minutes left on the clock. You’re ahead of the other team, but knowing the clock is running out, the opposing coach has just put in all of his best players. In response, what are you going to do? Are you going to put in your best players or are you just going to put in anyone? And knowing that the clock is running out, are you going to play differently or are you just going to coast till the end?

This is the importance of knowing the season of Christ’s return––we must know whether Jesus is coming back soon because the way we disciple, minister, and reach the lost must increase in urgency as the clock decreases in time. Don’t get me wrong––it’s not about predicting the exact date or time. The Bible makes it clear that “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36 ESV). Not even Jesus knows when He is returning.

It’s not about predicting a date––it’s about knowing a season. For the season you are in determines the actions you must take. As Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NKJV, “1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted.” You don’t get to determine the season you are in. Seasons change regardless of what you want or how you feel. The only thing you can control about a season is what you choose to do in it. Different seasons require different actions to achieve success. This is why knowing whether we are in the season of Christ’s return is important. For if we are in this season, we must live with utmost urgency and concern to seek and save the lost, because time is running out. And once the clock runs out, it will be too late to bring anyone else to heaven.

So are we in the season of Christ’s return? John writes on behalf of Jesus in Revelation 1:1-3 ESV, “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place…Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” 

Has the time come? Are we in this season? Given what scriptures say, I believe so. And I get it––I was a skeptic myself. Whenever someone would mention the “End Times,” I would roll my eyes and close my ears, dismissing it as some crazy conspiracy theory. After all, many generations who have come before us looked at the evil and chaos of the world and have believed that the end was near. In the last century alone, people went into panic thinking the world was going to end during Halley’s Comet, World War 1, the Great Depression, World War 2, the Cold War, and Y2K, just to name a few. However, this prediction is not defined by events; it’s defined by Scripture.

As John Bevere writes in great detail in Chapter 12 of “The King is Coming,” the Bible provides insight into the season of Christ’s return. He cites three passages in particular:

Hosea 6:1-2 NKJV

1Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.

2 Peter 3:8 NIV

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 

Matthew 24:32-34 NIV

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

To summarize Bevere’s main points in Chapter 12:

• Hosea 6:1–2 says that God will revive His people after two days and raise them up on the third day.
• Applying the principle that one day equals a thousand years with the Lord, "two days" symbolizes two thousand years before Israel's revival, and the "third day" represents the 1000-year Millennial Age prophesied about in Revelation 20
• Hosea's prophecy may suggest a prophetic window between 2032 and 2070 (2000 years from the time Jesus returned to Heaven around AD 32 points to the year 2032; 2000 years from the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 points to the year 2070)
• Jesus’ fig tree parable (if the fig tree is representative of Israel) indicates that the final generation begins when Jerusalem was reacquired by Israel in 1967, suggesting a potential window between 2007 (if a “generation” is 40 years) and 2067 (if a “generation” is 100 years).
• Both prophetic timelines (2032-2070 and 2007-2067) independently converge on the exact same modern era, suggesting that we are living in the season of Christ's return.

APPLICATION:

So are we in the season of Christ’ return?  

No one can say for certain, as God has not specifically given us that knowledge. 

That being said, God has both left us clues to His return and has asked us to be wary of what He has already revealed. However, given what scripture has revealed to us, the possible interpretations of that scripture, and the signs we have been observing, I believe that we are indeed in the season of Christ’s return. 

This is not about prediction; it’s about prophecy. This isn’t fortune telling; it’s doing our best to interpret the tried, true, and dependable Word of God. And we can trust Scripture when it comes down to these things, because it was accurate in prophesying down to the season the fall of Jerusalem, the return to Jerusalem, the birth of the Messiah, and many other events that have come to pass. If God’s prophetic revelations were accurate in the past, we can trust that they will be accurate in the future. 

Thus, the issue we face about the season of Christ’s return is simply one of interpretation. Regarding the End Times, we are called to interpret the Word of God accurately. On one hand, we must never add to His Word––interpreting scripture based on speculation, led by emotion, or influenced by hunched or premonition. On the other hand, we must also not be so strict that we fail to even try to interpret what God has already revealed to us. After all, regardless of whether you jump off the port or starboard side of the ship, you’re still jumping off of the boat. What we must do is seek to understand the Scriptures in light of what God has already revealed to us and of who God has already revealed Himself to be. 

All this being said, I believe that we are in the season of Christ’s return. However, if you don’t have the same interpretation of scripture, I respect that––for the most important thing about this devotional is not arguing about a timeline; it’s about arguing for urgency. Because whether you think it’s 2032, 2067, 2070, or some other date, the reality is that every day you wake up, we are one day closer to His return. Realizing that Christ could return within my lifetime or shortly thereafter has completely transformed the way I live. It has opened my eyes to the reality that time is running out faster than we think, and ignited an urgency, passion, and conviction within my heart to give all I’ve got to seek and save the lost––because with 70% of the world still unsaved, we have a lot of work to do. 

And I pray with all my heart that regardless of what you believe about the specifics, that you would allow God to ignite a same sense of urgency and purpose within the deepest recesses of your soul. Because if you were a coach in the Super Bowl in the fourth quarter with three minutes left on the clock, you’d put in your best players and fight ‘till the end. Well, guess what? God’s your coach. The clock’s running out. Christ is coming back soon, and out of everyone in humanity who has ever lived that He could have chosen to put in the game, He has chosen you. He’s placed you right on the field, right now in the fourth quarter, to fight to the end. Why? Because you are one of His best players, chosen for such a time as this to fight off the enemy and win as many souls to Christ as you can before the clock runs out. 

Regardless of whether you think there’s 3 minutes, 15 minutes, or 5 seconds on the clock, you are still in the fourth quarter. Jesus has said clearly in Revelation 22:12 NIV “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” Jesus is coming soon, and time is running out. So live with urgency, with passion, and with conviction knowing that God has chosen you for the last moments of the game. Make your coach proud––for the stakes are much greater than winning the Super Bowl. The stakes are the eternities of those God loves, and of those you love. Jesus is going to win no matter what. His reward is guaranteed. The question is whether you’ll have earned yours.

PRAYER:

Jesus,

You are our Soon-Coming, King! Maranatha––come quickly, Lord! We want You, we need You, and we desire You alone. Ignite within me a passion and a zeal to seek and save the lost in this fourth quarter. I answer your call boldly, I live with utmost urgency, and I say “Here I am, Lord! Send me!” Thank You, Lord, for choosing me to live in the season of Your return. Use me as a vessel through which You save millions. Have Your way in me. I love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me. Save those who need You, grow those who have found You, and let tidal waves of grace, anointing, and revival consume the world You created and love.

In Your name I pray,

Amen

About the Author

Donovan Sabog

Pastor Donovan Sabog joined our staff in 2020 and was appointed as our Executive Pastor in 2025. He loves God, loves people, and is passionate about helping people discover their God-given potential, release their dreams, and become all God created them to be.

Donovan grew up at New Hope Oahu and has been a part of this church with his family since 2004. Starting from a young age, he served on our Worship, Youth Performing Arts Center, NHO Music, and Children’s Ark teams, and he led our Lighting Team through its transition from Farrington High School to our Ministry Center when he was a high school student at Punahou School. 

These experiences led him to Yale University, where he received B.A. degrees with distinction in Economics and History, and worked as Head Recruitment Coordinator and Senior Presenter for Yale Undergraduate Admissions. While at Yale, he performed in the Yale Spizzwinks and Yale Whiffenpoofs a cappella groups, traveling with these groups to 25 states and 35 countries across all six inhabited continents. Donovan also received his M.A. in Formational Leadership from Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary.

Prior to New Hope, Donovan was a management consultant in New York City and has held various internships in finance, investment, education, government, and strategic policy at various firms in Hawaii. 

When he's not at church, you’ll probably find him eating a plate lunch (Garlic Chicken or Tonkatsu…with white rice and mac salad, of course), on a plane headed to serve the global Church on mission, or loving on people God places in his path.

Donovan is grateful to serve God, serve you, and do church as a team here at NHO. And if there’s one thing Donovan hopes that you always remember, it’s that “YOU ARE LOVED!”

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” - Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

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