3. When will Jesus return?
It is amazing that people try to attach a specific date to the return of Jesus Christ or the 2nd coming. This mistake has exposed
false prophets on a few occasions. The bible not only does not tell us a date, but it is very clear on the fact that we will not know
the day in which Jesus will return. Although we do not know the day in which Jesus will return we do know of things that will take
place before he returns. Often the debate among Christians is not so much as to when Jesus will return, but rather the time of
the rapture.
No one knows the day or hour when Jesus will return.
Luke 12:40 "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
Mark 13:32-33 "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. "Take
heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.
Acts 1:6-7 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the
kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
1Thes 5:1-3 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you
yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and
safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
We do know that certain events will take place before Jesus returns.
Matt 24:15-31
(15) "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the
holy place (let the reader understand), (16) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; (17) let him who is on the
housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; (18) and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his
cloak. (19) "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! (20) "But pray that your flight may
not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; (21) for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning
of the world until now, nor ever shall. (22) "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the
sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. (23) "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do
not believe him. (24) "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if
possible, even the elect. (25) "Behold, I have told you in advance. (26) "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the
wilderness,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. (27) "For just as the lightning comes
from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (28) "Wherever the corpse is, there the
vultures will gather. (29) "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, (30) and then the sign of the Son of
Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of the sky with power and great glory. (31) "And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together
His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
In this passage in Matthew it is clear that the return of Jesus Christ is after the abomination of desolation which was spoken of
through Daniel the prophet (verse 15). Furthermore it is after a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning
of the world until now, nor ever shall (verse 21). Finally it is after when the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (verse 29).
Some people had thought that perhaps Jesus had already returned in the Apostle Paul's day. Paul reminds them that certain
events must first take place in the following passage.
II Th 2:1-5 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,
that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from
us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy
comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every
so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not
remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
The time of the rapture in relation to the 2nd coming of the Lord is debated.
Christians often refer to the rapture when speaking of end times. The word rapture is not in the bible; rather it comes from the
Latin which in our English bible it translated as "caught up" in 1 Thes. 4:17. It literally means to seize, to carry off by force or to
snatch out or to snatch away.
1Thes 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall 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.
There are those that believe that the rapture or this being caught up in this passage will happen before the period of the Great
Tribulation spoke of in Matthew chapter 24. Others believe that the rapture will take place in the middle of this time period. The
3rd and oldest view is that the rapture is at the same time as the 2nd coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. The point is
not so much as to when the rapture will happen, but rather the fact that it will happen. Which ever view you take concerning the
rapture does not change when the actual 2nd coming of Christ is. It is not our point to debate the timing of the rapture, but
rather to point out when Jesus will return.
4. Why will Jesus return?
I am not aware of any passage that says Jesus is going to return because of a particular reason. However we can discover why
Jesus is going to return by examining what he is going to do when he returns. For example if your wife went to the store and you
did not know why, but then she came home with a loaf of bread and some milk.
Then you would reach the conclusion she went to the store to buy bread and milk. The bible does tell us what Jesus is going to
do when he comes back.
Coming to judge the world. (punishment & reward)
Matt 16:24-27 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. "For
what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according
to his deeds.
II Th 1:6-10 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are
afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out
retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the
penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be
glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed.
1 Pet 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Rev 3:11 'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown.
Rev 22:12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
Coming for his followers.
John 14:2-3 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for 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.
Heb 9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without
reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
1Thes 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,
shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall 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.
5. Where will Jesus return?
To return implies that one first left. Jesus left earth and went to heaven. When he returns he will come back to planet earth. (Acts
1:11, Matt. 24:30, Mark 16:19, Rom. 8:34)
The question remains where on planet earth will he return?
Zech 14:1-9 (1) Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. (2) For I will
gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and
half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. (3) Then the LORD will go forth and fight against
those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. (4) And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is
in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so
that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. (5) And you will flee by the valley of My
mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days
of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! (6) And it will come about in that
day that there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. (7) For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day
nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. (8) And it will come about in that day that living waters will
flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as
well as in winter. (9) And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the
only one.
In the text we see that "the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!" "And the LORD will be king over all the
earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one." This is our indication that the text is speaking of the day in which the Lord
returns. (compare with 1 Thes. 3:13 & Rev. 11:15) The repeating of the phrase "in that day" informs us that the passage is
speaking of what will happen during this day, not what will happen over several days or weeks. Some commentators believe
that the Mount of Olives is the actual touchdown point for Jesus when he returns. I cannot see that in the passage. However it
does show an actual location of where he will be on that day.
6. Application
The bible gives us direction in the way that we should behave in many areas of our life. I have selected a few of these
passages that are tied directly to his return in the context.
1 Cor 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the
things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.
1 Cor 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
I Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from
Him in shame at His coming.
2 Pet 3:8-14 (8) But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the
heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be
burned up. (11) Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness, (12) looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by
burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! (13) But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a
new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (14) Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by
Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
It is amazing that people try to attach a specific date to the return of Jesus Christ or the 2nd coming. This mistake has exposed
false prophets on a few occasions. The bible not only does not tell us a date, but it is very clear on the fact that we will not know
the day in which Jesus will return. Although we do not know the day in which Jesus will return we do know of things that will take
place before he returns. Often the debate among Christians is not so much as to when Jesus will return, but rather the time of
the rapture.
No one knows the day or hour when Jesus will return.
Luke 12:40 "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
Mark 13:32-33 "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. "Take
heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.
Acts 1:6-7 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the
kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
1Thes 5:1-3 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you
yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and
safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
We do know that certain events will take place before Jesus returns.
Matt 24:15-31
(15) "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the
holy place (let the reader understand), (16) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; (17) let him who is on the
housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; (18) and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his
cloak. (19) "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! (20) "But pray that your flight may
not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; (21) for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning
of the world until now, nor ever shall. (22) "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the
sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. (23) "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do
not believe him. (24) "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if
possible, even the elect. (25) "Behold, I have told you in advance. (26) "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the
wilderness,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. (27) "For just as the lightning comes
from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (28) "Wherever the corpse is, there the
vultures will gather. (29) "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, (30) and then the sign of the Son of
Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of the sky with power and great glory. (31) "And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together
His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
In this passage in Matthew it is clear that the return of Jesus Christ is after the abomination of desolation which was spoken of
through Daniel the prophet (verse 15). Furthermore it is after a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning
of the world until now, nor ever shall (verse 21). Finally it is after when the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (verse 29).
Some people had thought that perhaps Jesus had already returned in the Apostle Paul's day. Paul reminds them that certain
events must first take place in the following passage.
II Th 2:1-5 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,
that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from
us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy
comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every
so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not
remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
The time of the rapture in relation to the 2nd coming of the Lord is debated.
Christians often refer to the rapture when speaking of end times. The word rapture is not in the bible; rather it comes from the
Latin which in our English bible it translated as "caught up" in 1 Thes. 4:17. It literally means to seize, to carry off by force or to
snatch out or to snatch away.
1Thes 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall 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.
There are those that believe that the rapture or this being caught up in this passage will happen before the period of the Great
Tribulation spoke of in Matthew chapter 24. Others believe that the rapture will take place in the middle of this time period. The
3rd and oldest view is that the rapture is at the same time as the 2nd coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. The point is
not so much as to when the rapture will happen, but rather the fact that it will happen. Which ever view you take concerning the
rapture does not change when the actual 2nd coming of Christ is. It is not our point to debate the timing of the rapture, but
rather to point out when Jesus will return.
4. Why will Jesus return?
I am not aware of any passage that says Jesus is going to return because of a particular reason. However we can discover why
Jesus is going to return by examining what he is going to do when he returns. For example if your wife went to the store and you
did not know why, but then she came home with a loaf of bread and some milk.
Then you would reach the conclusion she went to the store to buy bread and milk. The bible does tell us what Jesus is going to
do when he comes back.
Coming to judge the world. (punishment & reward)
Matt 16:24-27 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. "For
what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according
to his deeds.
II Th 1:6-10 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are
afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out
retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the
penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be
glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed.
1 Pet 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Rev 3:11 'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown.
Rev 22:12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
Coming for his followers.
John 14:2-3 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for 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.
Heb 9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without
reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
1Thes 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,
shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall 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.
5. Where will Jesus return?
To return implies that one first left. Jesus left earth and went to heaven. When he returns he will come back to planet earth. (Acts
1:11, Matt. 24:30, Mark 16:19, Rom. 8:34)
The question remains where on planet earth will he return?
Zech 14:1-9 (1) Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. (2) For I will
gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and
half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. (3) Then the LORD will go forth and fight against
those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. (4) And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is
in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so
that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. (5) And you will flee by the valley of My
mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days
of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! (6) And it will come about in that
day that there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. (7) For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day
nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. (8) And it will come about in that day that living waters will
flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as
well as in winter. (9) And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the
only one.
In the text we see that "the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!" "And the LORD will be king over all the
earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one." This is our indication that the text is speaking of the day in which the Lord
returns. (compare with 1 Thes. 3:13 & Rev. 11:15) The repeating of the phrase "in that day" informs us that the passage is
speaking of what will happen during this day, not what will happen over several days or weeks. Some commentators believe
that the Mount of Olives is the actual touchdown point for Jesus when he returns. I cannot see that in the passage. However it
does show an actual location of where he will be on that day.
6. Application
The bible gives us direction in the way that we should behave in many areas of our life. I have selected a few of these
passages that are tied directly to his return in the context.
1 Cor 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the
things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.
1 Cor 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
I Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from
Him in shame at His coming.
2 Pet 3:8-14 (8) But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the
heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be
burned up. (11) Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness, (12) looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by
burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! (13) But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a
new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (14) Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by
Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
Major Christian Doctrines
Explained & Defended
Explained & Defended
Click on any Link here
Or use the arrows to turn the page.
Or use the arrows to turn the page.
Home
| The Return of Jesus Christ This is page 3 of 3 on this subject. Click here to go to the 1st page. |
