Jesus is the eternal God, never having a beginning, and is the second person of the trinity, or godhead. He is the Creator of the universe. A little over 2,000 years ago, He set aside some of His divine attributes in order to become fully man, while still being God. This was called His incarnation: coming in the flesh. Jesus came to us, as one of us, Emmanuel: God with us. It was at this time that He was given the name Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit inside of a virgin woman, which is why He is called the Son of God, as He had no earthly biological father. His birth was His first advent: coming/arrival. Near the end of His earthly ministry, before He ascended back up into heaven, He spoke of His second advent, His second coming. Today, we are living in a time between these two advents. We celebrate the first advent while living in anticipation of the second. So, when is Jesus coming back?
Jesus’ second coming is part of the end times events that we read about in the Bible. The study of the end times is called eschatology (eh-ska-ta-logy). At first glance, many passages of Scripture seem to indicate that Jesus’ second coming would be shortly after He ascended back into heaven. We see certain passages that describe eschatological events as imminent. For example, 1 Peter 4:7, “The end of all things is near.” Others seem to say we’re already in the last days, such as 1 Corinthians 10:11, “…the ends of the ages have come.” In some of Paul’s letters, he seems to tell his audience that they would experience eschatological events in their lifetime, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord.” Even Jesus Himself makes statements that might appear to teach that His audience would experience the second coming firsthand, Matthew 24:33-34, “recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” And in Mark 14:61-62, “Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” Are Paul and Jesus really saying that Christ’s second coming would indeed happen in the immediate years that followed these statements?
If we take these portions of Scripture to mean that Jesus was to certainly return to the earth during the days of His apostles, in the immediate years that followed His ascension, then we’d obviously have a false teaching, since that’s not what happened. Therefore, the evidence insists a different way to view these statements. Let’s unpack some of these.
Matthew 24:32-34, “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” When Jesus makes the statement, “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” He’s not talking about His second coming. Rather, they will experience “all these things” within their lifetime; the things that set the stage for His second coming. Matthew 24 reveals details about what signs/things that Jesus is referring to. These signs serve to indicate that something is approaching, just like signs of a fig tree indicate when summer is near. He says, “when you see all these things,” then you will know that, “He is near.” So, this verse, and others like it, mean that the preparations would be put into place within their lifetime, but not that He would return in their lifetime. The signs only mean that He is near. The word “near” deserves some attention. It’s the Greek word, eggizo (eng-id’-zo), which means approaching. Near, doesn’t indicate a specific length of time. For the last 2,000 years, Jesus’ return has been near/approaching, imminent, forthcoming, looming, at any time.
For these reasons, Jesus’ apostles understood that we ought to be on guard, on alert, because, “the end of all things is near,” (1 Peter 4:7), or James 5:8, “the coming of the Lord is near.” Other portions of Scripture use the word “quickly,” such as Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming quickly.” Here, “quickly” is the Greek word tachu (takh-oo’), meaning speedily. It indicates that when He returns, His coming will be swift, immediate, coming upon us at once. The same Greek word is used in Matthew 28:7-8, when the angel tells the ladies at the empty tomb, “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead…And they left the tomb quickly.”
Therefore, the word “quickly” indicates the nature of Jesus coming, as sudden/fast, but not to be understood as happening within a certain length of time. In fact, any interpretation that indicates a certain amount of time, would create a contradiction to what Jesus said. Jesus, while in His incarnate state, was Himself unaware of the time that He would return, as He says in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” So, if Jesus, while still in His human state, was unaware of the time He’d be returning, then it insists that He couldn’t infer a time frame for His return. In other words, He couldn’t say, “I’ll be coming again within your lifetime,” if He didn’t know when He was returning.
Let’s examine another verse that might appear to teach a time frame for Jesus’ second coming. Matthew 16:28, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” This sounds like His audience, which were His disciples, would be eye-witnesses to His second coming. However, that interpretation is obviously flawed. These words of Jesus are also recorded in the gospels of Mark and Luke. It’s important to understand that in the three gospels where Jesus makes this statement, the transfiguration of Jesus immediately follows, in every case. The transfiguration was an event where Jesus’ figure/body was transformed/changed, temporarily revealing His divine nature. The word transfigured is the Greek word Metamorphoo (met-am-or-fo’-o), meaning to change into another form, or transform. This likely indicates that the phrase, “there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom,” seems to speak of Peter, James, and John, all of whom were present at the transfiguration of Jesus, just days after these words were spoken. The transfiguration was a temporary revealing of Jesus in His divine splendor. Up until this point, His disciples had only seen Him in His incarnate earthly manner. Let’s unpack Matthew 16:28 a bit further.
“Until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” First, the “Son of Man” was how Jesus referred to Himself most often, which was a name given to the Messiah in Daniel chapter 7. Son of Man was a name of God that the Jews were very familiar with, as it indicated the Messiah. Jesus uses it often of Himself to reassure His audience that He indeed is the Messiah they expected. Next, the word “coming” here is the Greek word erchomai (er’-khom-ahee), which means to appear. Peter, James, and John were with Jesus on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured right before their eyes. His clothes were as white and brilliant as can be, and His face shone like the sun. These disciples had a glimpse, a type of preview, of Jesus as He appears “in His kingdom” manner. The books of Daniel and Revelation describe Jesus in His heavenly glory, having a face that shines like the sun and His gleaming white garments.
Therefore, when Jesus says, “some of those who are standing here,” He refers to Peter, James, and John, who bore witness to Jesus “coming,” i.e. appearing, “in His kingdom,” i.e. His divine heavenly kingdom manner. Peter would later speak of these things when he writes 2 Peter 1:16-18, “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” – and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.” Peter is basically telling his readers that he didn’t follow Jesus because he’d only heard clever stories about Jesus. Instead, Peter followed Jesus because, among other things, Peter actually witnessed Jesus in His divine heavenly glory, and as an eyewitness of such things, Peter can boast that Jesus is God. Furthermore, as if the transfiguration wasn’t enough, Peter received additional confirmation of Jesus’ divinity, from God the Father’s voice spoken from heaven. So, it seems evident that what Jesus says in Matthew 16:28 refers to the transfiguration, which a few people did see before they died. The transfiguration served as something of a prelude to His eventual second coming, when He would return to earth and reign with power and divine glory.
On a side note, Matthew and Mark’s gospels say the transfiguration happened six days after Jesus said that some of His disciples would “not taste death…” But in Luke’s gospel, it says the transfiguration happed eight days after Jesus spoke those words. There’s no contradiction, it’s simply the fact that Luke includes the day Jesus said it, and the day of the transfiguration, while also including the six days in between. Matthew and Mark only reference the days in between.
The Apostle Paul makes some statements, that at first glance, appear to indicate a time frame for eschatological events, including the Lord’s coming. For example, Paul speaks of “we,” when referring to those who would be alive at the Lord’s coming. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 says, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord…” And in 1 Corinthians 15:51, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” Paul speaks with a sense of inclusion, as though he will be one who will be alive when these end time events happen. Let’s unpack these statements a bit. “We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord,” speaks of Christians, the brothers in Christ, who will be alive when the Lord returns. Paul uses the word “we” to simply include himself as a fellow believer, as one who joins others in this future hope. He doesn’t say “we” as thought he literally thinks he’ll be alive and present when this event happens. In fact, in 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul makes clear to his original readers that they ought not think the Lord has returned, or that any specific time frame be in view. Paul only uses the word “we” to speak of the collective hope of all believers. Again, when he says, “we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,” the word “we” is meant of the whole body of believers. In this statement, Paul reminds us that at Christ’s coming, there will be some who will have already passed away, as “sleep” is a euphemism for death. Others will not have fallen asleep, but will be alive then. So, when the Lord returns, both the believers who had already passed into eternity, and those still alive, will “be changed”; clothed in a new glorified body, as Christ had when He rose from the grave. A change from corruption to incorruption, from dishonor to glory, from weakness to power, from natural to spiritual bodies. Sleep is an appropriate euphemism, because just as a sleeping person looks dead, he’s really still alive, this is true of the Christian, who although dead corporally/bodily, is forever alive in Christ, and even his corporal body will be resurrected and glorified in the same manner as Christ’s resurrected and glorified body. This is why the Scriptures say that Christ is, “the firstborn from the dead,” (Colossians 1:18). Not that Jesus was the first to be resurrected, but the first to receive a glorified body.
What does all this mean for you and I? What are we to do, while living in the time period between the two advents? Do we simply wait? Do we assume He’s coming back in our lifetime, as every other generation has thought?
Jesus gives us instruction as to how to live in anticipation of His return. The passages from Matthew 24:42 through 25:46 give us four parables about living in a state of readiness and anticipation, along with a concluding judgment about those who do not. These parables include the parable of the thief in the night, the parable of the servant over his master’s household, the parable of the ten virgins, and the parable of the talents. After these parables are given, Jesus provides details about how people will be judged, and Jesus says, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
Notice the detailed list of the activities of the Church; feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, being hospitable to the stranger, giving clothes to the naked, visiting the sick and those imprisoned. These aren’t deeds that earned anyone their salvation. Instead, they are evidences of their salvation. These acts of service reveal the transformed hearts of those who had indeed come to know Jesus as their Savior. Their character had changed from being self-centered, to others-minded, or selfless. As these believers continued through life, they were kingdom-minded, looking to the needs of those around them. In fact, the text indicates that the believers were somewhat astonished as to the praise they were receiving. This indicates that they weren’t expecting to be honored for common everyday behaviors. Their response shows the genuineness of their nature, living humbly, not for recognition, as though their left-hand didn’t know what their right-hand was doing.
The bottom line is simple, which is, you and I don’t know when Jesus is coming back. Only false prophets boast of such foolishness, and there are plenty of these frauds in the world. Dismiss anyone, or any faith group, that has claimed to know when Jesus is coming back. This includes “Christians” such as the Mormon faith, which documented in 1835 that the Lord would return within the next 56 years. Later, Joseph Smith (Mormon founder) prophesied in 1843 that the Lord wouldn’t return before 1890. Another false faith, the Jehovah’s Witness, founded by Charles Taze Russell, has well documented bogus second-coming dates (not to mention many other types of false prophecies), saying that Christ returned in 1874. Some other false prophets, along with their second-coming date are; William Miller (“Millerite Movement” 1844), Edgar Whisenant (1988, 1989, 1993, 1994), Marshall Applewhite (“Heaven’s Gate” founder, 1997), Herbert Armstrong (“Worldwide Church of God” 1936, the 1940’s, 1975), and Harold Camping (2011).
Since Jesus Himself, in His incarnate state, didn’t know when His second coming would be, then the rest of these heretical nerds can put their calculators away. You and I should take false prophecy as seriously as the Bible does, and not dismiss it, or redefine it, like the Jehovah’s Witness do, who simply justify their false prophecies as “misinterpreting the Scriptures.” Redefining a false prophecy as a misinterpretation is a lie from Satan, period. If anyone can excuse a false prophecy as simply misunderstanding the text, then there would be no such thing as a false prophecy!
Ultimately, each person needs to consider what should be done in anticipation of Jesus coming again. Each of us needs to accept Christ as our Savior, by entrusting ourselves to Him for the forgiveness of our sin. Then, after a person is saved, he should live with kingdom-mindedness in his everyday interactions with people; putting their needs first, and making sure none are forgotten about, especially those that society tends to overlook.