Tell me about the Second Coming of Christ

The Second Coming of Christ

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the literal, personal, bodily, and visible return of the Lord Jesus to fulfill His promises, judge the nations, deliver Israel, and establish His kingdom upon the earth.

The angels declared:

“This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
—Acts 1:11, KJV

Christ will not return merely as an influence, a religious movement, or a symbolic presence. “This same Jesus” will return personally and physically.

Two Distinct Events

In premillennial, pre-tribulational Bible doctrine, Christ’s return includes two distinct events.

1. The Rapture of the Church

Before the Tribulation, Christ will come in the air for His saints:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”
—1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, KJV

At the Rapture:

• Christ comes for His church.
• Believers meet Him in the air.
• The dead in Christ are raised.
• Living believers are changed and caught up.
• The church is delivered from the coming Tribulation.

The Rapture is imminent. No prophetic event must occur before Christ comes for His church.

2. The Revelation of Christ in Glory

After the Tribulation, Christ will return visibly to the earth with His saints:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True.”
—Revelation 19:11, KJV

“And his name is called The Word of God.”
—Revelation 19:13, KJV

At this coming:

• Christ comes with His saints.
• Every eye will behold Him.
• His feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives.
• He will defeat the Antichrist and the armies gathered against Him.
• He will deliver the believing remnant of Israel.
• He will establish His literal thousand-year kingdom.

Zechariah prophesied:

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.”
—Zechariah 14:4, KJV

The Timing

Jesus taught that His visible return to earth will follow the Tribulation:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light…
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.”
—Matthew 24:29–30, KJV

The biblical order is:

1. The Rapture of the church
2. The Tribulation
3. The visible return of Christ
4. The judgment of His enemies
5. The restoration of Israel
6. The thousand-year reign of Christ
7. The final judgment and eternal state

Christ Will Reign Literally

The Second Coming leads directly to Christ’s earthly kingdom:

“And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
—Revelation 20:4, KJV

This kingdom is not merely symbolic of the church age. Jesus Christ will rule as King over the nations from Jerusalem, fulfilling God’s promises to Israel and the covenants made in the Old Testament.

A Message of Comfort and Warning

For the saved, Christ’s coming is the “blessed hope”:

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
—Titus 2:13, KJV

For the unbelieving world, His return will bring judgment. A person is prepared for Christ’s coming only by receiving salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from works:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
—Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV

The proper response is to trust Christ, live soberly and faithfully, preach the gospel, and watch for His return.