Jesus' Second Coming (Manner)
John 14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
Jesus promised He would return.
Acts 1:9-11
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
The angels confirmed His promise and testified to its truthfulness. They also add that He will return like He left.
Jude 14
Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints.”
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of our Lord’s return.
Psalm 50:3
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
David declares “Our Lord shall come.” There are over 1500 prophesies of Jesus’ second coming recorded in the Bible. For every prophecy of His first coming mentioned in the Old Testament, there are eight predicting His second coming. The return of our Lord is mentioned once in every 5 verses in the New Testament.
Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced HIm. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
When Jesus returns, every eye shall see Him.
Matthew 24:27
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
His return will be like lightning flashing across the sky.
1 Thessalonians 4:16,17
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
His coming will be an audible event. The righteous dead will be resurrected and along with the righteous living will be caught up in the sky to meet Jesus in the air.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
God will clothe His people with immortality at His second coming, not before.
Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
His return shall be a glorious event. He comes with His reward.
Revelation 6:14-17
Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
The unrighteous wicked fear His coming and cry for the rocks to fall upon them.
Matthew 13:37-43
He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
The evil are purged out of His kingdom by fire and the righteous saved through all eternity.
Isaiah 25:9
And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
The righteous are delighted to see Him come. They joyfully exclaim, “Lo, this is our God....”
Revelation 19:11-16
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. Than He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame or fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
As King of Kings leading the armies of heaven, He returns as triumphant Lord.
Titus 2:13
...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
His coming is called the “Blessed Hope” of a lost mankind.
Revelation 22:11,12,17-20
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophesy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Jesus’ final invitation is to prepare for His soon return.
Commonly-asked questions regarding Jesus’ second coming
Isn’t Jesus coming secretly? Doesn’t the Bible say, “There will be two in the field, one taken and one left” (Matthew 24:40).
The Bible makes it abundantly plain that Jesus’ coming is not a secret event (Revelation 1:7, Psalm 50:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, Matthew 24:27). When the Bible speaks of those being left, it does not say they will be left alive on earth. The extended passage in Luke 17:26-37 describes the event in detail. In Noah’s day there were two classes, one taken (saved), one left (destroyed by the flood [verse 27]). In Lot’s day there were two classes, (one taken out of the city and saved, one left in the city and consumed by fire). It will be similar when Jesus comes (Luke 17:30-37). One class will be taken to heaven with Jesus and the other class will be destroyed. In Luke 17:37, the question raised, “Where, Lord? Where are these people left?” The Bible answer is plain, “Whithersoever the body is, there the eagles [vultures] will be gathered together.” Revelation 19:11-18 clarifies the point that the wicked are destroyed when Jesus comes, (see also 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, 2:8).
Doesn’t the Bible teach Jesus is coming as a thief? (1 Thessalonians 5:2)
Each Bible reference to Jesus coming as a thief, is in reference to the unexpected time of Jesus’ coming, not the manner of His coming. He comes quickly as a thief, unexpectedly as a thief, but in glorious splendor as lightning in triumphant glory (see Matthew 24:42-44, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5, Matthew 24:27).
Do God’s people live through the coming tribulation or are they raptured before the tribulation?
The experiences of ancient Israel were examples given by God for His people living at the close of time. Just as Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage after the plagues, so God’s church will be protected through the plagues and be delivered from the hand of the oppressor (1 Corinthians 10:11; Psalm 91:46). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego entered the flames when they refused to yield to the universal death decree of Babylon’s king. In those flames God miraculously delivered them. Their death-defying faith faced the flames (Daniel 3:16-28). He comes as a thief after the plagues (Revelation 16:15). What sense would it make to declare “Behold I come as a thief after six plagues are already poured out” if He had already come as a thief before they were poured out? Revelation 15:8 emphatically declares, “No man can enter the (heavenly) temple until the plagues are completed. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 makes it plain that the anti-christ is revealed before Jesus comes and is destroyed by the brightness of His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
Does the Bible teach that the righteous receive their reward when they are raptured at the beginning of a seven-year tribulation but the unrighteous are destroyed at the end of the seven-year tribulation?
The parables of Jesus make it plain that the second coming of Jesus is a diving climactic event--men and women are either saved or lost. There is no seven-year period to reconsider our lives. Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). In Matthew 13:30, both wheat and tares (the righteous and wicked) grow together until the harvest. The righteous are saved and the unrighteous lost. In the parable of the unfaithful servant, there is no second chance. The unfaithful are lost when the Lord of the household comes unexpectedly (Matthew 24:44-51). In the parable of the sheep and goats, men and women are either saved or lost when Jesus comes (Matthew 25:31-46).
