The So-Called Future Second
Coming Of Jesus Christ: The Case For And Against The
Teaching
By Dan Maines
Introduction
† Few
subjects have produced more disagreement among Christians than the
coming of Jesus Christ. Most Christians agree that Jesus promised to
come, but they disagree sharply about when, how, and to whom those
promises applied.
† The traditional futurist
position teaches that the Second Coming is still future, physical,
visible, worldwide, and will occur at the end of human history. This
interpretation is commonly connected with the resurrection of the
dead, final judgment, and other end-time events.
†
The fulfilled perspective agrees completely that Christ promised His
coming, but it challenges the assumption that the promised coming
remains future to us. The central question isn't whether Jesus
promised to come. The question is whether He fulfilled that promise
within the time frame He and His apostles repeatedly gave.
†
A fair examination must consider the strongest arguments used for a
future coming and then test those arguments against the audience,
historical setting, prophetic language, and explicit time statements
of Scripture.
† Our authority can't be
tradition, creeds, popular prophecy teachers, or even the length of
time a doctrine has been taught. Scripture must interpret Scripture.
(Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Matthew 16:27-28
For
the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His
angels, and will then repay every person according to his deeds.
"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."
† FOR: Futurists commonly
understand verse 27 as describing the future Second Coming because
Jesus speaks of coming in His Father's glory with angels and
rendering judgment according to works. (Revelation 22:12)
†
AGAINST: Jesus immediately placed a time limitation upon this coming.
Some of the people standing in front of Him wouldn't die before
seeing the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. The natural audience of
"some of them that stand here" was the people physically
standing before Jesus.
† Separating verse 27
from verse 28 creates a problem that the text itself doesn't create.
Jesus connected His coming, kingdom, judgment, and the lifetime of
some of His original hearers.
† If this
coming remains future in the twenty-first century, the time statement
becomes extremely difficult to explain without redefining the
ordinary meaning of Jesus' words. (Matthew 10:23)
Matthew
10:23
"But whenever they persecute you in one
city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish
going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
†
FOR: Futurists may argue that "till the Son of man be come"
points beyond the immediate mission of the disciples to Christ's
future Second Coming, with the mission to Israel continuing in some
sense until He returns. (Matthew 24:14)
†
AGAINST: Jesus was speaking directly to His first-century disciples
about persecution they personally would experience while traveling
through the cities of Israel. He told them to flee from one city to
another and said they wouldn't finish going through those cities
before the Son of Man came. (Matthew 10:16-23)
†
The immediate audience and geographical limitation are important.
Jesus specifically identified "the cities of Israel," not a
worldwide mission thousands of years in the future. Earlier in the
same instructions, He specifically sent these disciples to Israel.
(Matthew 10:5-6)
† This provides another
direct first-century time limitation on the coming of the Son of Man
and agrees with Jesus' later statement that some standing before Him
wouldn't die before seeing Him coming in His kingdom. (Matthew
16:27-28)
Matthew 24:30, 34
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. Truly I
say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things
take place.
† FOR: Futurists point to the Son
of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory and argue that
nothing comparable to this description literally occurred in AD 70.
They therefore place its fulfillment at a future visible return of
Christ. (Acts 1:11)
† AGAINST: Jesus didn't
leave the timing undefined. He said, "This generation shall not
pass away, till all these things be accomplished." The phrase
"all these things" includes the events He had just
described.
† Cloud-coming language was
already established in the Old Testament as prophetic language
describing divine presence and judgment upon nations. God could be
described as coming on clouds without requiring His bodily descent to
the ground. (Isaiah 19:1; Psalm 18:9-12)
†
The immediate context concerns Jerusalem, Judea, the temple, fleeing
to the mountains, and the approaching destruction Jesus had just
announced. (Matthew 23:36-38; Matthew 24:1-3)
†
The fulfilled interpretation therefore takes both the prophetic
imagery and Jesus' explicit first-century time statement
seriously.
Matthew 26:63-64
But Jesus kept
silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I place You under oath
by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of
God." Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself. But I
tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the
right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
†
FOR: Futurists understand Jesus' statement about "coming on the
clouds of heaven" as a reference to His future visible Second
Coming. They connect this language with other passages describing
Christ coming with clouds, power, and glory. (Matthew 24:30; Acts
1:11)
† AGAINST: Jesus spoke directly to
Caiaphas and the Jewish leaders standing before Him. He told them
that they would see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power
and coming on the clouds of heaven. The audience was first century,
not twenty-first century. (Matthew 26:57-68)
†
Jesus was drawing directly from Daniel's vision of the Son of Man
coming with the clouds to the Ancient of Days to receive dominion,
glory, and a kingdom. The movement in Daniel 7 is toward the Ancient
of Days, not a physical descent from heaven to earth. (Daniel
7:13-14)
† Jesus therefore announced His
vindication, enthronement, and coming judgment against the leaders
who condemned Him. This agrees with His warning that judgment would
fall upon that generation. (Matthew 23:34-36; Matthew 24:30, 34)
Luke
21:20-22, 27, 32
"But when you see Jerusalem
surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.
Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who
are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must
not enter the city; because these are days of punishment, so that all
things which have been written will be fulfilled. And then they will
see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all
things take place.
† FOR: Futurists often
interpret the Son of Man coming in a cloud as a future personal
return because similar language is associated with Christ's ascension
and promised coming. (Acts 1:9-11)
† AGAINST:
Luke identifies the historical setting with unusual clarity. Jesus
said His disciples would see Jerusalem surrounded by armies and
instructed those in Judea to flee.
† Jesus
called these "days of vengeance" and said they were the
period in which "all things which are written may be fulfilled."
That statement places prophetic fulfillment directly within the
judgment surrounding Jerusalem.
† The coming
of the Son of Man appears inside that same discourse and isn't
separated from Jerusalem's desolation by thousands of years.
†
Jesus again closed the prophecy with the time limitation, "This
generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished."
Jerusalem was surrounded by Roman armies and destroyed within that
generation in AD 70.
Luke 21:28, 31
But
when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near." So you too,
when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of
God is near.
† FOR: Futurists understand the
approaching redemption and kingdom of God as pointing to the future
Second Coming, when Christ will return and believers will experience
their final redemption. (Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13)
†
AGAINST: Jesus spoke directly to His first-century disciples and told
them what they should do when these events began happening. Their
redemption was drawing near as they personally witnessed the
predicted events. (Luke 21:20-28)
† Jesus
also told those same disciples that when they saw these events
happening, they would know that the kingdom of God was near. The
fulfillment was directly connected to events they were expected to
witness. (Luke 21:29-31)
† Jesus then
established the time frame by declaring that their generation
wouldn't pass away until everything He had described was fulfilled.
That places the approaching redemption, kingdom, and coming of the
Son of Man within the first-century generation He was addressing.
(Luke 21:27, 32)
Acts 1:9-11
And after He
had said these things, He was lifted up while they were watching, and
a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. And as they were gazing
intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in
white clothing stood beside them, and they said, "Men of
Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has
been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you
have watched Him go into heaven."
† FOR:
This is one of the strongest passages used for a future bodily Second
Coming. The argument is straightforward, Jesus physically ascended,
the disciples watched Him depart, and the angels said He would come
"in like manner."
† AGAINST: The
passage says "in like manner," but it doesn't say that the
event would occur thousands of years later, nor does it provide the
timing of the promised coming.
† The cloud is
significant because clouds repeatedly accompany divine appearances
and judgment throughout Scripture. Jesus Himself had already
described His coming with cloud imagery. (Matthew 24:30; Luke
21:27)
† Acts 1 therefore shouldn't be
isolated from the explicit timing statements Jesus had already given
concerning His coming.
† Whatever "in
like manner" means, its interpretation must harmonize with
passages that explicitly state when Christ's coming was near and who
would live to witness its fulfillment.
John
21:22-23
Jesus said to him, "If I want him to
remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!"
Therefore this account went out among the brothers, that that
disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would
not die, but only, "If I want him to remain until I come, what
is that to you?"
† FOR: Futurists argue
that Jesus wasn't setting a time limit for His Second Coming. He was
making a hypothetical statement about John, and verse 23 specifically
corrects the misunderstanding that John would necessarily remain
alive until Christ returned. (John 21:20-23)
†
AGAINST: Although Jesus didn't promise that John would remain alive
until His coming, He spoke of His coming as something that could
meaningfully be discussed in relation to John's lifetime. The
possibility made sense to the disciples because Christ's coming
wasn't presented to them as an event thousands of years away.
(Matthew 16:27-28)
† John carefully corrected
the rumor that Jesus had promised he wouldn't die, but he didn't
remove the connection Jesus made between His coming and John's
possible survival until that event. (John 21:22-23)
†
This passage isn't proof of the timing by itself, but it fits
naturally with Jesus' other statements placing His coming within the
lifetime of His first-century generation. (Matthew 16:27-28; Matthew
24:34)
Hebrews 9:28
so Christ also, having
been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time
for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await
Him.
† FOR: This is perhaps the clearest
biblical foundation for the expression "second" appearing.
Futurists understand it as a promise that Jesus will physically
appear at the end of history.
† AGAINST:
Hebrews was written to actual first-century believers who were
waiting for Him. The writer didn't say that believers thousands of
years later would begin waiting for this appearance.
†
The surrounding letter repeatedly describes an Old Covenant order
that was becoming obsolete and was near to disappearing. (Hebrews
8:13)
† Hebrews also says Christ would come
in "a very little while" and "shall not tarry."
Those statements establish expectancy within the original audience's
historical situation. (Hebrews 10:37)
† The
question therefore isn't whether Christ would appear a second time.
Scripture plainly says He would. The question is whether that
appearance remains unfulfilled after the time expectations given to
the original recipients.
Titus 2:11-13
For
the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people,
instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live
sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
† FOR:
This is an important passage for the futurist position because Paul
plainly says believers were looking for the appearing of the glory of
Jesus Christ. Futurists understand this blessed hope as the
still-future visible return of Christ.
†
AGAINST: Paul said that "we" were looking for this
appearing. The expectation belonged first to Paul and the Christians
of his own generation, not exclusively to believers living thousands
of years later. (Titus 1:4)
† This passage
should therefore be interpreted alongside the numerous passages
stating that Christ's coming and the approaching judgment were near
to that same apostolic generation. (Romans 13:11-12; James 5:8-9;
Hebrews 10:37)
† Including this passage
strengthens the sermon because it doesn't avoid one of the major
texts futurists use to support their position.
Hebrews
10:35-37
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence,
which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that
when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was
promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come,
and will not delay.
† FOR: A futurist may
argue that prophetic language sometimes speaks of future events as
near from God's timeless perspective. (2 Peter 3:8)
†
AGAINST: The writer was encouraging persecuted first-century
Christians not to abandon their confidence because they needed
endurance for "a very little while."
†
Telling suffering believers that relief would come in "a very
little while" loses its natural force if the intended
fulfillment was actually thousands of years beyond their lifetime.
†
The statement "shall not tarry" reinforces rather than
weakens the nearness of the expectation.
†
Biblical interpretation should begin with what these words
communicated to the original recipients before applying them to later
generations.
Philippians 4:5
Let your
gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near.
†
FOR: Futurists argue that "The Lord is at hand" doesn't
necessarily mean Christ's Second Coming would occur within the
lifetime of the Philippian believers. They may understand it as
referring to the Lord's spiritual nearness or as an encouragement for
believers to remain ready for His future return. (Philippians
3:20-21)
† AGAINST: Paul wrote directly to
first-century believers and told them that the Lord was near. Read
alongside the other New Testament statements about Christ's
approaching coming, the natural sense is one of genuine nearness to
Paul's original audience. (James 5:8-9; Hebrews 10:37)
†
Paul elsewhere told first-century Christians that their salvation was
nearer than when they first believed and that the day was near. This
shows that the apostles understood themselves to be moving toward an
approaching fulfillment. (Romans 13:11-12)
†
Philippians 4:5 therefore fits the consistent New Testament pattern
of expectation, Christ's coming was approaching for the generation to
whom the apostles were writing. (1 Peter 4:7; Revelation 1:3)
James
5:7-9
Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until
the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of
the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late
rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of
the Lord is near. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one
another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing
right at the door.
† FOR: Futurists commonly
interpret this as part of the church's continuing expectation of
Christ's future return.
† AGAINST: James
addressed his own brethren and told them to remain patient "until
the coming of the Lord." He then explained why, "the coming
of the Lord is at hand."
† James
strengthened the urgency further by saying that the Judge was
standing right at the door. This isn't naturally the language of an
event intended to remain unfulfilled for thousands of years.
†
The original audience was experiencing oppression and was told to
endure because approaching judgment would reverse their situation.
(James 5:1-6)
† The fulfilled perspective
allows "at hand" and "before the doors" to retain
their ordinary meaning for the people who originally received the
letter.
Romans 13:11-12
Do this, knowing
the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep;
for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. The
night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let's rid
ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
†
FOR: Futurists argue that Paul was encouraging Christians to live in
constant readiness for Christ's future return. They understand the
approaching day as the final day of salvation and judgment, which
could occur at any time from the believer's perspective. (1
Thessalonians 5:2-6)
† AGAINST: Paul told his
first-century readers that their salvation was now nearer than when
they first believed and that the day was near. His language describes
an event that had become progressively closer during their own
lifetime. (Romans 13:11-12)
† Paul's argument
depends on the actual passage of time. Their salvation was closer
than it had been when they first believed, showing that they were
moving toward an approaching fulfillment rather than an event
thousands of years away. (Hebrews 10:25)
†
This agrees with the consistent New Testament expectation that the
coming of the Lord, judgment, and the consummation of the Old
Covenant age were approaching that first-century generation. (James
5:8-9; 1 Peter 4:7; Hebrews 10:37)
1 Peter 4:5, 7,
17
but they will give an account to Him who is ready to
judge the living and the dead. The end of all things is near;
therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of
prayer. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of
God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for
those who do not obey the gospel of God?
†
FOR: Futurists frequently understand judgment of the living and dead
as referring to the final judgment associated with a future Second
Coming.
† AGAINST: Peter didn't describe that
judgment as thousands of years away. He said Christ was "ready
to judge," "the end of all things is at hand," and
"the time is come for judgment to begin."
†
These expressions communicate an approaching crisis to Peter's
first-century readers.
† The "all
things" must be interpreted within the covenantal and prophetic
context rather than automatically interpreted as the destruction of
the physical universe. (Hebrews 8:13; Hebrews 12:26-28)
†
Peter's language fits the approaching judgment that Jesus had already
placed within His generation.
Revelation 1:1-3
The
Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His
bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and
communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified
to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything
that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the
words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it;
for the time is near.
† FOR: Futurists argue
that much of Revelation describes events so extraordinary that they
must refer to a worldwide end-time period still awaiting
fulfillment.
† AGAINST: Revelation begins by
telling its original readers that its events "must shortly come
to pass" and that "the time is at hand."
†
Those statements weren't hidden symbols. They were direct statements
explaining the temporal relevance of the prophecy to its original
audience.
† Revelation also ends with the
same urgency, showing that the time statements frame the entire
prophecy rather than appearing accidentally at its beginning.
(Revelation 22:6-7, 10, 12, 20)
† A future
interpretation must explain why "shortly," "at hand,"
and repeated promises of Christ's coming were addressed to
first-century churches if their fulfillment was intended for people
thousands of years later.
Revelation 22:6-7, 10, 12
And
he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the
Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show
His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. "And
behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words
of the prophecy of this book." And he said to me, "Do not
seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to
reward each one as his work deserves.
† FOR:
Futurists often understand "quickly" as describing the
suddenness of Christ's future coming rather than the nearness of when
it would occur.
† AGAINST: The surrounding
statements don't simply say that Jesus would come quickly once He
started coming. They say the predicted things "must shortly come
to pass" and "the time is at hand."
†
Daniel was commanded to seal his prophecy because its fulfillment
wasn't yet near to him. John received the opposite command, "Seal
not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at
hand." (Daniel 12:4, 9)
† Jesus also
connected His coming with rendering to each person according to his
work, the same judgment language found in His promise that some
standing before Him wouldn't die before His coming. (Matthew
16:27-28)
† The beginning and ending of
Revelation therefore establish a consistent first-century expectation
of fulfillment.
Revelation 1:7
Behold, He
is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who
pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So
it is to be. Amen.
† FOR: Futurists
frequently use the statement that every eye would see Him as proof
that Revelation describes a future worldwide visible return of
Jesus.
† AGAINST: The same verse specifically
includes those who pierced Him. That connects the coming judgment
with the generation responsible for rejecting and crucifying Christ.
(Matthew 23:34-36)
† Revelation 1:7 also
echoes Jesus' words concerning the tribes mourning and the Son of Man
coming on the clouds, language Jesus explicitly placed within His own
generation. (Matthew 24:30, 34)
† Most
importantly, Revelation immediately surrounds this prophecy with
declarations that the predicted events would happen soon and that the
time was near. (Revelation 1:1, 3)
Revelation 22:20
He
who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
† These are among the
final words of the New Testament, and they repeat the same
expectation found throughout Revelation. Jesus said He was coming
quickly.
† The original churches receiving
Revelation were therefore given a genuine expectation of approaching
fulfillment. The statement should be read together with the
declaration that the time was near. (Revelation 1:3; Revelation
22:10)
† The fulfilled perspective doesn't
need to redefine "quickly" into approximately two thousand
years and counting. It understands Christ's promise according to the
first-century time frame repeatedly established throughout the book.
(Revelation 22:6-7, 10, 12)
Historical References
†
Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapters 4-9,
described the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple during the
Roman siege of AD 70, providing an important historical witness to
the catastrophe Jesus had predicted.
†
Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapter 5, Section 3,
recorded extraordinary signs associated with the period surrounding
Jerusalem's destruction, including phenomena in the sky and armies
reportedly seen among the clouds. These historical reports don't
establish doctrine, but they demonstrate how extraordinary the events
surrounding the Jewish War were understood to be.
†
Tacitus, Histories, Book 5, Chapter 13, also recorded unusual signs
associated with Jerusalem before its destruction, including armies
appearing in the sky and supernatural warnings connected with the
temple.
† Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History,
Book 3, Chapters 5-7, connected Jerusalem's destruction with the
judgment that followed the rejection of Christ and recorded the
tradition that believers left Jerusalem before the catastrophe.
†
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapters 25-36, demonstrates that
later Christians discussed future expectations concerning Christ's
coming and kingdom. His writings are historically important evidence
for the development and continuation of futurist interpretation, but
historical writers don't override the explicit time statements of
Scripture.
† History can help identify the
setting and reception of biblical prophecy, but our doctrine must
ultimately rest upon Scripture rather than Josephus, Tacitus,
Eusebius, Irenaeus, or later church traditions.
How It
Applies To Us Today
† We don't have
to live as though Jesus failed to fulfill promises that He repeatedly
said were near to His first-century followers.
†
Fulfilled prophecy strengthens confidence in Christ because it means
His words concerning His generation came to pass exactly
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