Must Jesus (as) return before a meteorite hits the Earth?

No. The return of Jesus (as) is not a bodily descent from heaven, and the universe is not at the mercy of chance. A possible impact sets God no deadline.

Time and again we hear that the end of the world is near. Such predictions usually rest on scriptures that are misread and on hasty conclusions. They stir believers up for a while and revive the hope that Christ will soon come. Yet for many centuries this coming has not taken place in the form people expected.

This is not because God needs to be reminded of the time. It is because the expectation itself is mistaken. In the whole history of religion, no one has ever come down bodily from heaven to earth. The first verse above speaks of the natural death of Jesus (as). The second shows that even the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) saw himself as a human being and a Messenger, not as someone who rises into the sky.

When people keep hearing a promise that never comes true, they easily lose trust. Something weighs even more heavily. Such expectations distort our picture of how God works. If He created the world with a purpose, He will not allow a blind collision to destroy that purpose.

When large heavenly bodies have struck the Earth, it has not been without purpose. A well known example is the impact after which the dinosaurs disappeared. The climate changed, and vast amounts of living matter were buried deep in the ground. Over a long time this gave rise to treasures beneath the earth that humanity could only use once its knowledge had advanced far enough.

So no one needs to fear that a meteorite will upset God’s plan or set a deadline for a second coming. The world follows a design, not chance.