5 Facts About the Return of Christ

We have been put on notice.

Jesus Christ will return, and this cosmic, life-changing event could happen at any time. 

Many do not consider Christ’s future return relevant to their present-day lives. They choose to ignore it, even deny it.  

In this post, we will review the who, where, what, when, and how of his return. Then, in the next post, we will see how this should directly impact your present. This is introductory rather than exhaustive. 

 

Who and Where?

The ‘who’ is Jesus; the ‘where’ is Earth. 

This should be a no-brainer, but some prefer to twist and distort the obvious. 

When Jesus left Earth, he promised to return. Here’s how the disciples remember it. Forty days after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus met and spoke with his followers just outside Jerusalem (Acts 1:9-11): 

After he said this, [Jesus] was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

You have probably spoken to people who believe that Jesus has already returned or will return in some other “incarnation,” form, or manner. That is why I highlighted the words:

“This same Jesus”— not someone or something else— “will come back in the same way”— back to Earth physically and visibly. 

 

What?

The Biblical record provides us with valuable insights into the return of the Lord Jesus to Earth. I will focus on one aspect of his return: the parousia. 

Parousia is a Greek word that refers to “the state of being present at a place, presence.”[1]

It is not the promise or the process of coming; it is the result of coming— the person’s actual presence.  Occasionally, the word is translated in English as “coming,” but it refers to the arrival and physical presence of the person who comes.

Of the 24 occurrences of this word in the New Testament, seven of them are used in an ordinary sense of a person being present, such as:

• Paul (2 Corinthians 10:10; Philippians 1:26; 2:12),
• Titus (2 Corinthians 7:6-7),
• others (1 Corinthians 16:17), or
• the lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). 

The remaining 17 occurrences of parousia refer to the future physical presence of the Lord Jesus. 

Events triggered by the parousia include:

• the resurrection of those who belong to Christ (1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:15);

• “being gathered to him” (2 Thessalonians 2:1);

• the judgment of those who refuse Christ (Matthew 24:27, 37, 29); and,

• the judgment of the “lawless one” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). 

 

What will the parousia be like?

Peter gives us a glimpse of the parousia of Christ by relating it to the Transfiguration.

We read about the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-8; and Luke 9:28-36. For instance, Matthew writes (17:2): 

[Jesus Christ] was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 

Decades later, Peter refers to the Transfiguration as a foretaste of Christ’s future parousia. He writes (2 Peter 1:16-18):  

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming [parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 

Reading this text and reflecting on the Transfiguration accounts, we gain the sense that we will be overwhelmed with the glory of our Lord at his parousia. 

 

When?

There is a certain impatience among believers and denial among those who do not believe.

The disciples asked Jesus, “When will this happen?” (Matthew 24:3) in the context of future events, including the parousia. 

In Matthew 24:27-44, the term parousia is used three times (24:27, 37, 39).[2] In this context and elsewhere, Jesus tells his disciples,

“You do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Despite these words, many have embarrassed themselves by attempting to predict the date of the parousia of the Lord Jesus and the events surrounding his return. 

Others argue that the delay in his return means he is not coming at all (e.g., 2 Peter 3:1-14 where parousia occurs in verses 4 and 12): 

“Where is this ‘coming’ [parousia] he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

These people are in for a rude awakening. 

One of God’s purposes in this delay is grace toward those who have not yet received Jesus Christ (3:9):

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Using an agricultural metaphor, James relates the patience of a farmer waiting for a crop to ripen for harvest. In James 5:7-9, he writes:

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming [parousia]. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

In the same way, we should exercise an informed patience for the parousia. Our Lord will return when the time is ‘ripe.’

 

How?

Earlier, we quoted two angels: Jesus “will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). 

Jesus himself tells the disciples that (Matthew 24:27):

“as the lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming [parousia] of the Son of Man.” 

And Paul writes (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17): 

According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming [parousia] of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

The parousia of Jesus Christ will be physical and visible. 

 

Summing up

Here is a simple summary of five basic facts about the future physical return and presence of the Lord Jesus:

• Who? The person of Jesus Christ, not something or someone else (“this same Jesus”).
• Where? On Earth.
• What? It is the actual arrival and physical presence of Jesus Christ.
• When? It will happen in the future, at any time, and when we do not expect it.
• How? It will be physical and visible.

In the next post, we will build on this post and gain insights into how these future facts can impact our present lives.

Let me know what questions or thoughts this post raises. You can reach me using this link.

 

BACK TO What Grace Have You Received and Why

Notes:

[1]  Walter Bauer et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 780f.

[2] “Coming” in Matthew 24:42 is a different Greek word, referring to the process of coming rather than his arrival.

Image credit: DepositPhotos.com