A YouGov/Times poll in 2013 found that only 4% of Britons believe Jesus will return to earth by 2070. This is similar to another YouGov poll in 2010 which found that only 5% of Britons believe the Second Coming would happen before 2050.
However more do believe there will be another world war (28%), there will be a major terrorist attack in the UK involving a nuclear weapon (28%) and that an asteroid will hit earth causing massive loss of life (9%). If they happen, these would all be what Jesus calls “the beginning of birth pains” of the Messiah.
Belief that Jesus would return by 2070 came at the bottom of a list of 39 results which also included:
- The world will face a major energy crisis 71%
- China will overtake the United States as the world’s main superpower 59%
- Astronauts will land on Mars 48%
- We will find evidence of life elsewhere in the universe 42%
- The member states of European Union will become one unified country 20%
- We will make contact with alien life 15%
- The British Monarchy will be abolished 14%
- Jesus Christ will return to earth 4%
We don’t know when Jesus will return but we should be looking forward to it and speeding its coming (2 Peter3:12). These statistics could encourage people to ignore it.