The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

 

Main Verses

Ezekiel Chapters 37-47 Israel’s restoration, invasion, and new temple.

Daniel Chapters 7-12 Daniel’s visions of the future.

Matthew Chapter 24 Signs of the end of the age.

Mark Chapter 13 Signs of the end of the age.

Luke 17:20-37; 21:5-36 The coming of the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:12-58 The resurrection of the body.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The coming of the Lord.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-10 The man of lawlessness before the Lord comes.

2 Peter 3:3-13 Destruction by fire on the day of the Lord.

1 John 2:18; 4:1-3 The antichrist and the spirit of antichrist.

Revelation Chapters 6-22 Visions of God’s wrath, man’s tribulation, the work of antichrist, and Christ’s victorious reign.

The Second Coming of Christ in Scripture

All Christians believe that Jesus Christ will “come again to judge the living and the dead” (see Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15; General Articles: Introduction). Jesus not only predicted His own death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31-32; 9:9-10; 10:33-34), but He also predicted His second coming (Matthew 16:27; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 13:26). After His resurrection from death, Jesus remained on earth for forty days, encouraging the disciples (Acts 1:3). While witnessing His ascension to heaven, the disciples were told that Jesus would return in the same way as He had left (see Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-11). From the beginning, the apostles taught believers to wait and hope for Christ’s second coming (Acts 3:19-21; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28).

Jesus promised to go and prepare a place for us in heaven, and to come back and take us to live with Him there (John 14:2-3). Jesus also promised His followers that He would raise them up at the last day (John 6:39-40,54). Paul said that in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come (1 Corinthians 15:22-24). Paul described this resurrection of our bodies as our final adoption as sons, when we will be glorified at the completion of our salvation (see Romans 8:18-25,30; Philippians 3:20-21; General Article: Way of Salvation).

This resurrection will be a sudden event. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Paul wrote that God will bring with Jesus the spirits of those believers who have already died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The dead will be given new bodies that cannot die, and those who are alive will have their old bodies changed to new ones; this will happen in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Jesus also mentioned a trumpet call from the clouds, when He will send His angels to gather the elect from all over the earth (Matthew 24:30-31; Mark 13:26-27). Jesus warned that of two people sleeping in one bed (or working in a field or grinding grain together) one will be taken and the other left (Matthew 24:40-41; Luke 17:34-35). Many refer to these events as the “rapture” of the church.

But the second coming is also important as a time when God will bring justice and peace to the earth. The Old Testament records many prophecies about Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Some prophecies predicted His death for the sins and sorrows of the people (Psalm 22:1-31; Isaiah 53:1-12; Daniel 9:25-26); these were fulfilled almost two thousand years ago when Jesus was crucified and rose again. Other prophecies predicted that the Messiah would establish a righteous kingdom for God’s chosen people, the Jews (Isaiah 2:1-4; 11:1-16; Jeremiah 23:3-8; Ezekiel 37:15-28); these were not fulfilled during Jesus’ life on earth.

Some passages of the Bible speak of the second coming as very near or soon (Hebrews 10:25; James 5:9; 1 John 2:18; Revelation 22:7,12,20), but that no one will know the exact day or hour (Matthew 24:36,44; Mark 13:32-35). Jesus said His coming in judgment will be like lightning in the sky, and that all nations will see His sign … appear in the sky and they will mourn (Matthew 24:27,30; Luke 17:24; Revelation 1:7). Jesus compared His return to a thief breaking into a house or to a master returning to his house and servants without warning (Matthew 24:42-51; Mark 13:34-37; Revelation 3:3; 16:15). Paul and Peter gave similar warnings (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4; 2 Peter 3:10).

However, the Bible also teaches that there will be certain signs beforehand, so that we may know when Jesus’ coming is near (Mark 13:28-29). Jesus said that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10). In the last days, evil men will go from bad to worse, many will reject the faith, and men will scoff at the second coming (Matthew 24:9-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-7,13; 2 Peter 3:3-10; Jude 17-19). Jesus also predicted that there will be wars, earthquakes, famines, and disease epidemics on earth, as well as signs in the sun, moon, and stars (Mark 13:24-28; Luke 21:10-11,25-26; Revelation Chapters 6,8,9,16). This period of trouble is called the great tribulation (Daniel 12:1; Mark 13:19-20; Revelation 7:14).

Jesus also warned of false Christs and false prophets who will perform signs and miracles to deceive men (Mark 13:6,21-23). John wrote not only that many antichrists had already come, but also that a particular antichrist is coming (1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3). Paul reassured the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord had not come already by pointing out that the man of lawlessness had not yet been revealed; this man will do counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and set himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; Revelation 13:14-15). This idol in the temple may be the abomination that causes desolation, which Jesus predicted¹ (Daniel 9:26-27; 12:11; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14).

Revelation Chapters 6-16 present many symbolic visions of great tribulations and calamities, ending with the return of Jesus to set up a righteous kingdom. Chapters 13-19 tell of a political ruler (pictured as a beast from the sea) and a false prophet who will do the evil works described for the antichrist (Daniel 7:24-25; 9:26-27; 11:36-45; 12:1-13; Mark 13:14,22; 2 Thessalonians 2:110; 1 John 2:18). This ruler will gather the armies of the earth to Armageddon, where he will be defeated by the returning Christ (Revelation 16:16; 17:14; 19:1121). Ezekiel Chapters 38-39 and 2 Thessalonians 2:8 also seem to describe this battle.

Revelation 20:1-7 describes a period of a thousand years in which Satan is bound in the Abyss, unable to deceive the nations. This period is called the “millennium,” from the Latin word for “one thousand.” The souls of those who had been killed for refusing to worship the image of the beast during his terrible rule are raised to life. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. Those who are raised will reign with Christ for a thousand years. After this thousand-year period, Satan is released and again deceives the nations, gathering them for war against God and His people. Fire falls from heaven and destroys them. Satan is thrown into hell, and a final judgment of the dead takes place. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-15).

Three Main Views About the Second Coming

In spite of many passages in the Bible on the second coming of Christ, much remains unclear. No single passage of Scripture presents the complete order of events during the last days. Because of this, three main views about the second coming have been proposed. These three views have different beliefs about the timing of Jesus’ second coming in relation to the thousand-year period of Revelation Chapter 20.

The first view says that there will be “no actual thousand-year kingdom on earth”; rather, the vision is symbolic of the present reign of Christ in heaven with believers who have died. The Christians who hold this first view believe that the number “thousand” symbolizes completeness and represents the entire time between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming. They believe that the binding of the dragon … or Satan (Revelation 20:2) is symbolic of the spiritual overthrow of Satan at Christ’s first coming as well as the restraining power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 3:8). These Christians emphasize that the souls (Revelation 20:4) of deceased believers are with Christ now (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Peter 1:13-14), and that the kingdom of God has already begun (Matthew 11:12; 12:28; Colossians 1:13) but is not a visible kingdom of this world (Luke 17:20-21; John 18:36-37; Romans 14:17). These Christians believe that Daniel’s seventy ‘sevens’ prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) was completely fulfilled in the events that followed Jesus’ death and resurrection—the establishment of the church, the attempt by the Roman emperor to place his statue in the Jewish temple, and the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple which ended the Jewish sacrifices. Those who hold this view believe that the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5) is a spiritual resurrection only, pointing out that, for us who believe, God has already made us alive with Christ … raised us up … and seated us with him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:4-6; 5:14; Colossians 3:1).

According to this first view, the “second resurrection” will be the resurrection of the body, and will take place when Christ returns to earth. These Christians believe that there is only one bodily resurrection—for both believers and unbelievers at the same time—and only one final judgment (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:11-15). Believers will meet Christ coming in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17), but immediately return with Him to earth for the final overthrow of Satan and his followers at one final battle (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:7-10). They believe that the prophecies in the Old Testament of a future earthly kingdom for the Jews have been transferred fully to the Christian church. (Compare Joel 2:28-32 with Acts 2:14-21, Zechariah 9:9-13 with Matthew 21:1-9, and Malachi 4:1-6 with Matthew 11:1114; 17:10-13; Romans 4:16; Galatians 4:22-31.) Therefore, they believe these prophecies are either symbolically fulfilled in the present church age, or will be fulfilled only in the final new heaven and new earth of Revelation Chapters 21-22.

The second view concerning Christ’s second coming is that Jesus’ return will occur “after an actual long period of peace and prosperity on the earth,” in which most of the world will turn to God and Christ in faith. This long period may not be exactly one thousand years long. Those who hold this second view agree with the first view that the kingdom of God has already begun at Christ’s first coming, but these Christians believe that the earth will gradually see more and more of Christ’s kingdom rule through the church (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:19-23). The gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14) will eventually win most people to faith in Christ, bringing a thousand years (or a very long period) of peace and spiritual blessings through the church (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17-21). They point to many prophecies which indicate that in the last days the nations of the earth will cease warring against each other and seek knowledge about God (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:1-5; Zechariah 8:20-23). These Christians believe that many other prophecies are symbolic of this long period, when Jesus will rule His kingdom through the church before His actual return from heaven (Psalms 2; 72; Isaiah 11:6-10; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Zechariah 9:9-10). This second view agrees with the first view that the return of Christ, the bodily resurrection, and the final judgment will all take place in a single event just before the beginning of the new heaven and new earth described in Revelation Chapters 21-22.

The third main view of Christ’s second coming is that Jesus will return to earth “before the thousand-year earthly kingdom begins,” and that all believers will be resurrected to reign with Him during this period. Christians holding this third view agree that the prophets spoke in symbols, but they emphasize that all the events symbolically described will actually occur. Therefore, most of them believe that the Old Testament promises to the Jews will actually be fulfilled in the future thousand-year kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-16; 65:18-25; Jeremiah 23:5-8; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Zechariah 14:9-21). In Romans 11:25-29, Paul pointed to Old Testament promises to show that eventually the Jews would turn to the Gospel. Furthermore, these Christians believe that all time periods given in prophecy are actual times, not symbolic only. They believe that Revelation Chapters 6-19 describe an actual future tribulation, which will take place right before the return of Christ for His thousand-year reign (Daniel 12:1; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:1011,25-27). They believe that Daniel’s seventy “sevens” (Daniel 9:24-27) stand for 490 years of actual history. The first sixty-nine “sevens” (or 483 years) were to begin from the date of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, which was in 445 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-9), and continue until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, meaning Jesus, the Messiah.² This Anointed One was to be cut off (fulfilled by Jesus’ death on the cross), and Jerusalem and its temple were to be destroyed (fulfilled in 70 A.D. by the Roman army). These Christians believe that the events of Daniel’s seventieth “seven,” or final seven years, were not fulfilled during the first century after Christ, but will only be fulfilled in a final seven-year period of tribulation immediately before Christ returns to set up His kingdom.

This third view identifies Daniel’s king or ruler who will come (Daniel 7:2425; 9:26-27; 11:36) with Paul’s man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:1-10) and with either the beast or the false prophet of Revelation Chapters 13-19. This ruler will break his covenant with Israel in the middle of the seven-year tribulation, setting up his image for worship (Daniel 9:27; 12:11; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14-15) in the new Jewish temple (Ezekiel Chapters 40-47). During this tribulation many of the Jews, as well as many from all the nations of the earth, will turn to Jesus in faith (Romans 11:25-31; Revelation 7:4,9,14), but will suffer persecution and death for their refusal to worship the image of the beast (Revelation 6:9-11; 14:3; 15:2-4; 20:4). At the end of the great tribulation, the armies of the beast will be destroyed at Armageddon by the triumphant return of Jesus Christ (Zechariah 14:1-9; Revelation 19:11-21). These Christians believe that Matthew 25:31-46 describes the judgment of the living nations before the thousand-year earthly kingdom begins, and that both resurrections in Revelation 20:1-12 are actual resurrections of the body—the first, a resurrection of deceased believers before the thousand-year period; and the second, a resurrection afterward of the unbelieving dead for final judgment. Then the old heaven and earth will be destroyed by fire, and a new heaven and new earth created (2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1).

Those who hold this third main view do not agree among themselves as to when believers will be resurrected (or their bodies changed) to meet the Lord in the air. Most believe that Jesus’ second coming involves two visits to earth. The first is a brief, sudden return in the clouds before the tribulation period begins in order to raise all those who have believed in Jesus prior to that time (1 Thessalonians 4:17), followed by an immediate return to heaven for the wedding supper of the Lamb (Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 19:9). This first visit will come unexpectedly, as a thief in the night (Matthew 24:42-51; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4; Revelation 3:3). The second visit is Jesus’ actual return to earth with His resurrected believers to defeat the beast and begin His earthly kingdom. Jesus promised in John 14:2-3 to return from heaven to take us with Him. These Christians note the sudden separation between those taken and those left (Matthew 24:40-41). Paul said that God did not appoint us to suffer wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Jesus told us to pray for escape from all that is about to happen (Luke 21:36). These Christians point out that Revelation 20:4-6 only describes the resurrection of those who were beheaded for refusing to worship the beast. These Christians believe that all true believers will be resurrected and taken to heaven before the tribulation begins, and that the resurrection of Revelation 20:4-6 only involves those who had become believers and died during the seven-year tribulation. The unbelieving dead will be raised just before the final judgment.

However, others who hold the third main view (that Jesus will return before the thousand-year period) believe that the church will suffer on earth during the seven-year tribulation. They agree that believers who are alive at the second coming will be caught up to meet Christ coming with deceased believers; but since they believe this takes place at the end of the seven-year tribulation period, they say that Jesus will immediately continue on to earth to defeat the beast at Armageddon and set up His kingdom. They point out that the sudden trumpet call and gathering of resurrected believers is connected in Matthew 24:15-31 with the visible return of Christ in power and glory after a time of terrible persecution, and that the prophecy in Luke 17:26-37 that one person will suddenly be taken and one will be left is connected with sudden destruction. Jesus never actually taught that He would come twice. Therefore, they believe that the return of Christ will be a single event, as in the first and second main views; but unlike those views, they say the second coming will occur before an actual thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. These Christians believe that there are only two resurrections: first, a resurrection of all believers at the return of Christ, after the tribulation and before the thousand-year kingdom begins; and second, a resurrection of the unbelieving dead just before the final judgment.³

Summary

Whatever view we hold, we should not argue and fight about this issue. We all believe in the return of Jesus Christ to raise us up for eternal life with Him. The exact details are not important for our salvation. The second coming should encourage us in our personal lives and in our public service. We are warned to be ready to meet Him by not letting the lamps of our faith and witness go out (Matthew 25:1-13). We are warned to be alert as regards our behavior, to be self-controlled, living holy and godly lives, not allowing our hearts to be weighed down with … the anxieties of life (Luke 21:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11; 2 Peter 3:11-14). We are to stand firm and to watch, so as not to be caught sleeping or lording it over others, but to be found faithfully doing the work of the Lord that He has given us to do (Matthew 24:45-51; 25:14-30; Mark 13:35-37; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 15:58; 2 Corinthians 5:10). That work may be evangelism (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10), or service ministries (Matthew 25:31-46). Our personal repentance, personal behavior, and personal witness may actually speed His return (Mark 13:10; Acts 3:19-21; 2 Peter 3:11-12). For the grace of God … teaches us … to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-13). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).

 

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¹ Jesus also prophesied that the temple would be demolished and the city surrounded by armies (Luke 21:6,20-24); in 70 A.D. Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed by the Roman army. Some scholars believe that the abomination that Jesus prophesied was the unsuccessful attempt by the Roman emperor Caligula (37-41 A.D.) to set up his statue in the Jewish temple for worship. Others believe that this part of Jesus’ prophecy will be fulfilled only in the last days.

² Many scholars believe that each of these 483 years was only 360 days long (each month thirty days), since the comparable three-and-a-half-year (or forty-two-month) period in Daniel and in Revelation is said to be 1260 days long (Daniel 7:25; 12:7-11; Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6,14). Thus the 483 years of Daniel’s sixty-nine “sevens” actually do end at the historical time of Jesus’ ministry and death in about 30 A.D.

³ For further discussion of the resurrection and final judgment, see General Article: What Happens After Death? in The Applied Old Testament Commentary.