THE RETURN OF CHRIST

Christians are not the only ones who believe that a great hero will return. So do many Muslims, Hindus and people of other faiths. But the difference between their beliefs and the doctrine of the return, or second coming, of Christ is that this belief is central to the Christian faith. It is one of the most widely taught doctrines in the NT and is firmly rooted in Jesus’ own words in all four Gospels.

He states that “all the peoples of the earth will … see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory” (Matt 24:30; see also Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). In the Gospel of John, he promises, “I will come back and take you to be with me” (John 14:3). At his ascension, two men in white robes, presumably angels, told the disciples, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

Paul frequently refers to the second coming in his letters (see, for example, Phil 3:20-21; 1 Thess 4:15-16; 2 Thess 1:7, 10; Titus 2:13). It is also mentioned by the author of Hebrews (Heb 9:28) and by James (Jas 5:7-8), Peter (1 Pet 1:7, 13) and John (1 John 2:28). All these writers speak of the prospect of Christ’s return as the grounds for Christian hope and as an incentive for doing what is right. They teach that his return has been delayed in order to allow time for more people to turn to him (2 Pet 3:4-10).

While Scripture clearly states that Jesus will return, it does not say when that return will take place. Jesus indicated that neither he nor the angels knew the time of his return, and neither would his disciples (Mark 13:32-33, 35; see also Matt 24:36-44). It is thus foolish for some preachers to proclaim that the world will end on a specific date, and we are foolish if we believe them.

The most Jesus would offer are signs of his return. These include natural catastrophes such as famines and earthquakes, and wars and the appearance of false prophets and the antichrist. However, we should not leap to conclude that every such event heralds his immediate return. Jesus describes them as no more than “the beginning of birth pains” (Matt 24:8). They are reminders that he is coming. So are other, less dramatic, signs such as the Lord’s Supper, which we celebrate “until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26). The proclamation of God’s word also reminds us of his coming, and the forgiveness of sins allows us to anticipate his eternal kingdom. All of these signs are reminders of his return, and warnings to be alert and live with the awareness that he could return at any moment.

Though we are in the dark about the date of Christ’s return, what we do know is that it will be personal, physical, visible, unexpected, triumphant and glorious (Matt 25:31-46; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; 1 Thess 4:16).

There is some disagreement among Christians about exactly how Christ’s return will unfold. Some believe that it will involve two stages. First, there will be the rapture, when Christ comes for his people; later, he will return with his people. These two events will be separated by the great tribulation, lasting approximately seven years.

Others, however, argue that Christ’s second coming will be a single unified event and will occur after the great tribulation.

Those who hold that Christ’s coming will precede the great tribulation constantly stress that the second coming is imminent and that we need to be prepared for it at all times (Matt 24-25; Jas 5:8-9; Jude 21). Those who expect it to come after the tribulation tend to think that Christ’s coming will be delayed to allow time for the gospel to be preached to all nations (Matt 24:14).

Christians are also united in believing that Christ’s return will be associated with a coming golden age of righteousness (Ps 86:9; Isa 2:2-4; 11:6-9; Jer 31:34; Dan 2:35, 44; Mic 4:1). However, some believe that this will happen only after he returns to reign, while others hold that he will return only after the prophecies of the golden age have been fulfilled.

Finny Philip