What is the Second Coming of Christ?
The Second Coming is the Christian hope that Jesus, who rose and ascended, will personally return — visibly and powerfully — to judge the world and bring God's kingdom in full. It is the church's deepest 'until then.'
After the resurrection, Jesus was taken up into heaven. Two angels said to his watching disciples, 'This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go' (Acts 1:11). The promise of his return is woven through every layer of the New Testament.
Jesus himself spoke of his coming as sudden, unmistakable, and not preceded by any sign that fixes the date: 'No one knows that day or hour' (Matthew 24:36). Believers are not told to calculate, but to keep watch — to stay faithful in ordinary obedience until he appears.
The Second Coming completes what the cross began. Sin, suffering, and death will be fully judged and ended; God will dwell with his people in a renewed creation, where 'he will wipe away every tear from their eyes' (Revelation 21:4). The right response is not anxiety but eager, holy expectation.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.