This Same Jesus Will Return: The Second Coming
This Same Jesus Will Return
The Second Coming
7 minute read
The Statement of Faith
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally, visibly, and bodily to consummate His kingdom, raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. His return is the blessed hope of the church—certain in fact, though its timing remains unknown. We live in the tension between the "already" of Christ's accomplished victory and the "not yet" of its full manifestation, eagerly awaiting the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
How Did We Get Here?
From the earliest days, Christians have lived with one eye on the horizon.
"Maranatha!"—"Come, Lord!"—was among the first Christian prayers (1 Corinthians 16:22). The apostles expected Jesus to return. The early church gathered with anticipation. For two thousand years, believers have watched and waited.
That wait has produced both patience and impatience. Some have set dates and been embarrassed when the day passed. Others have become so focused on eschatological speculation that they've neglected present faithfulness. Still others have stopped expecting the return at all, treating it as a metaphor or a relic of first-century enthusiasm.
But Jesus' promise remains: "I will come back" (John 14:3). The angels confirmed it: "This same Jesus... will come back in the same way you have seen him go" (Acts 1:11). The return is not optional Christian doctrine—it's core to the faith. The story isn't over until the King returns.
The question isn't whether He'll return, but how we live in the meantime.
What the Bible Says
Jesus Promised to Return
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
— John 14:3
Jesus Himself made the promise. He went to prepare a place; He will return to bring us there. The ascension and the return are two bookends of the same promise.
"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory."
— Matthew 24:30
This isn't a secret or invisible coming. It will be visible to "all the peoples of the earth." The clouds recall the glory cloud of God's presence—the same imagery from the ascension. As He left, so He returns.
The Return Will Be Sudden and Unexpected
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come."
— Mark 13:32-33
Jesus explicitly said He didn't know the timing—how much less should we pretend to know it? Every date-setter has been wrong. The uncertainty is intentional; it keeps us watchful.
"For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."
— 1 Thessalonians 5:2
A thief doesn't announce his arrival. Neither will the Lord's return. It will catch the world off guard. The proper response isn't calendar speculation but constant readiness.
The Return Will Bring Resurrection and Judgment
"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."
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
The dead will rise. The living will be transformed. All believers—from every age—will be gathered to meet the Lord. This is the great reunion, the end of death's separation.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
— 2 Corinthians 5:10
Everyone will give account. For believers, this isn't condemnation (Romans 8:1) but evaluation—reward or loss based on faithfulness. For unbelievers, it's the terrifying prospect of facing the one they rejected.
The Return Will Complete God's Kingdom
"Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
— 1 Corinthians 15:24-26
Every rival power will be subdued. Every enemy defeated. Death itself destroyed. The kingdom that began with Jesus' first coming will be consummated at His second. All things will be made right.
"He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'"
— Revelation 21:5
Not just souls saved—everything renewed. New heaven. New earth. The curse reversed. Creation restored. This is where the story is heading.
Understanding the "Already" and "Not Yet"
A key framework for understanding Christ's return is what scholars call "inaugurated eschatology"—the kingdom is already here and not yet fully here.
Already: Christ has won the decisive victory. At the cross, Satan was judged (John 12:31). At the resurrection, death was defeated. The Spirit has been poured out. The kingdom has come. We live in the victory.
Not yet: The victory isn't fully manifested. Evil still rages. Death still takes. Creation still groans. We await the final consummation when what Christ has accomplished will be fully revealed.
We live in the overlap of the ages—the old age of sin and death, and the new age of resurrection and life. Both are present. The return will end the overlap and bring the new age in fullness.
This framework helps us avoid two errors: triumphalism (acting as if the kingdom is already fully here) and defeatism (acting as if the kingdom hasn't come at all). We live with confident hope, working and watching.
How It Fits the Full Narrative
The return completes the story. Creation. Fall. Redemption. Restoration. The Bible's narrative arc demands a conclusion—and the return is that conclusion. Everything has been heading here.
The return fulfills Old Testament expectation. The "Day of the LORD" prophesied throughout the prophets finds its fulfillment in Christ's return. Judgment on evil, vindication of the righteous, establishment of God's eternal reign—all that the prophets anticipated is coming.
The return vindicates God's justice. Throughout history, evil has often seemed to win. The wicked prosper; the righteous suffer. But the return sets everything right. Every unpunished crime will be addressed. Every hidden virtue will be rewarded. God's justice will be publicly, unmistakably demonstrated.
The return reunites heaven and earth. The final vision of Scripture isn't souls escaping to heaven but heaven coming to earth. "The dwelling of God is with man" (Revelation 21:3). The divide between God's dimension and ours is healed permanently.
The return consummates our union with Christ. We'll see Him face to face. We'll be with Him forever. The relationship that began in faith will be completed in sight. "We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).
Why This Matters
It gives us hope. This world isn't all there is. Its injustices aren't final. Its griefs aren't forever. Something better is coming—Someone is coming—and He will make everything right. Christian hope isn't wishful thinking; it's confident expectation based on promise.
It motivates holy living. "Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself" (1 John 3:3). We will give account. What we do matters. The return isn't a license for passivity; it's a call to faithfulness. How do you want to be found when He appears?
It fuels mission. Until He returns, there's work to do. "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). The return isn't an excuse to check out; it's a deadline that intensifies our urgency.
It provides comfort in suffering. When evil seems triumphant, when suffering is acute, when death takes those we love—the return tells us this isn't the end. Justice is coming. Resurrection is coming. Reunion is coming. "Encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
It orients our priorities. If Jesus could return at any moment, what should occupy us? Not accumulating stuff that will burn. Not chasing status that will vanish. But knowing Him, making Him known, and doing His will. The return clarifies what matters.
How to Communicate This
Emphasize certainty without date-setting. Be clear that Jesus is coming back—this is non-negotiable Christian doctrine. Be equally clear that we don't know when—every date-setter has been wrong, and Jesus said we wouldn't know. Certainty about the fact; humility about the timing.
Hold views on details humbly. Christians disagree about the millennium, the rapture, the tribulation, and other details. These debates have their place, but they shouldn't overshadow the central truth: Jesus is returning, and we should be ready. Major on the majors.
Connect to present living. The return isn't just future speculation; it shapes how we live now. Watchfulness. Faithfulness. Hope. Urgency. Don't let eschatology become a hobby for the curious; let it be fuel for the faithful.
Use it for comfort, not fear-mongering. Paul said to "encourage one another" with the return, not terrify one another. For those in Christ, the return is the blessed hope—not a threat. Preach it that way.
Defending Against Critics
Objection: "Christians have been expecting the return for 2,000 years—it's obviously not happening."
Response: Peter anticipated this objection: "Scoffers will come... saying, 'Where is this coming he promised?'" (2 Peter 3:3-4). He answered that God's patience means salvation—more time for people to repent. A thousand years is like a day to the Lord. The delay isn't failure; it's mercy. And it makes the return no less certain.
Objection: "Jesus said 'this generation will not pass away'—He was wrong."
Response: This is a significant interpretive question. Many scholars (including those with a partial preterist view) believe Jesus was speaking of events in AD 70—the destruction of Jerusalem—which did happen within that generation. The discourse includes both near-term and far-term elements. What's clear is that the early church didn't abandon the faith when the first generation died; they understood Jesus' words more nuancedly than the objection allows.
Objection: "The Second Coming is just a metaphor for spiritual transformation."
Response: The New Testament insists on a visible, bodily return. "This same Jesus" will return "in the same way" He left—visibly, bodily (Acts 1:11). Every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). The dead will rise physically. This isn't metaphor-friendly language; it's describing an event. Reducing it to spiritual transformation empties the words of meaning.
Objection: "Why would God destroy the world He created?"
Response: God isn't destroying creation; He's renewing it. The end is not annihilation but transformation. "The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay" (Romans 8:21). God loves His creation—which is precisely why He'll redeem it fully. The new heaven and new earth aren't replacements; they're the old creation healed, glorified, and perfected.
Going Deeper
Key passages to study:
- Matthew 24-25 – The Olivet Discourse
- Mark 13 – Signs of the end
- Acts 1:9-11 – The promise of return
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 – The end and Christ's reign
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 – The Lord's coming
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – The day of the Lord
- 2 Peter 3:1-13 – The day of the Lord
- Revelation 19:11-21 – The rider on the white horse
- Revelation 21-22 – New heaven and new earth
Questions for reflection:
- How does the certainty of Christ's return affect my daily priorities and decisions?
- If Jesus returned today, what would I wish I had done differently?
- Do I live with genuine hope for the future, or has that hope become merely theoretical?