Many people believe that Jesus Christ will return to earth. In a 2004 Newsweek poll, just over half of those Americans polled expressed belief that He will come again. Fifteen percent said they thought that event would take place soon, in their lifetime.

But while many believe Jesus will return, things get considerably fuzzier on why He will return or what He will do when He returns.

For the record, Scripture states clearly that Christ will come again. It's a constant thread of Bible prophecy from Genesis to Revelation.

But while some aspects of that return are clear, others are not so clear.

For example, what exactly will He do when He returns? Is there a time sequence, an order to His actions? What will those actions be? What is their intent, the goal He has in mind? Who will be affected, and how and why?

Although they're unknown to most people, the Holy Days or festivals of the Bible help provide us with many of the answers. Though few realize it, they actually reveal, in step-by-step sequence, Jesus Christ's role in God's plan for humankind.

Sometimes those connections are so obvious we wonder how we could have missed them! Consider Jesus Christ's crucifixion on the day of Passover when, as the true Passover Lamb of God, He died to take away our sins (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7). Or how He started His Church, composed of the firstfruits of God, on the Feast of Firstfruits, also called Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41; Romans 8:23; Revelation 14:4).

Sometimes those connections are not as obvious, and we have to put together a number of scriptures to connect the dots. That's what we're trying to help you do in this issue—connect the dots about why Jesus Christ will return, and what He'll do when He does.

A key purpose of Jesus Christ's return will be to literally save us from ourselves—to save the human race from extinction. In a major prophecy shortly before His death, Jesus described the condition of the world to which He would return:

"It will be a time of great distress, such as there has never been before since the beginning of the world, and will never be again. If that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God's chosen it will be cut short" (Matthew 24:21-22, Revised English Bible, emphasis added).

Considering the dangerous times in which we live, with international tensions on the rise seemingly everywhere and with weapons of mass destruction spreading to terrorists who see suicide attacks as a sure path to paradise, we should sit up and take notice of Christ's words. Only in recent decades has humanity had the capacity, with modern weapons, to exterminate human life.

Another key purpose for Christ's return is to establish the Kingdom of God, a key theme of His teaching (Mark 1:14-15). This Kingdom will govern the entire world (Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 19:28; Revelation 11:15). In the Lord's prayer, Jesus urges His followers to pray, "Your kingdom come"—focusing their minds on this coming time of world peace when that Kingdom will be a reality.

These are only the beginning of the story. You'll discover much more about God's plan and what Christ's reign will be like in this issue. It spells out a fascinating future—a future in which He wants you to play a major part! GN