CHRISTIANITY
The Second Coming of Christ
The return of Jesus of Nazareth, bodily and visibly, to judge and to reign.
Primary citations
- Acts 1:11 — “This same Jesus… will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
- Matthew 24:30 — “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
Expected preceding signs
- — The gospel preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations (Matthew 24:14).
- — Wars and rumours of wars, famines and earthquakes — described as the beginning of birth pains, not the end (Matthew 24:6–8).
- — The falling away and the appearance of the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
- — A day and hour stated to be unknown to anyone, including the Son (Matthew 24:36).
Internal disagreement
Four standing schools read the timetable differently. PRETERIST: the discourse was fulfilled in the events of AD 70. HISTORICIST: it unfolds across church history. FUTURIST: it is still ahead. AMILLENNIAL: the thousand years is the present age, not a future political reign. All four are held by confessional Christians in good standing; the tradition has never settled it.
SCRIPTURE
New Testament, cited per line