The Second Coming of Jesus regards the future return of Jesus to Earth, following His ascension when He will defeat the Enemy, destroy evil and establish His millennial kingdom. The Second Coming is described in Revelation 19:11-16: "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.
The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and His thigh, He has the name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords." As Christians, we believe Jesus will return to earth in fulfillment of His promises and the prophecies also made about Him. Matthew 24:30 talks of this promise: "At the time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.
They will see the Son of Man coming from the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." While we don't know every detail of Jesus' return, The Word gives us key information about His Second Coming, a promise Jesus has made to us. Here are seven signs of Jesus' Second Coming.
False prophets.
There's no need to be deceived. Jesus Himself gave the prophetic trends and signs that would precede His Second Coming. One of the signs preceding Christ's return will be the ascendancy of a powerful false religion with immense influence. You can read about that system, which Revelation 17 labels as "the great harlot." The false prophet, about whom the Apostle Paul wrote, will lead that system. You can read about the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Jesus warned us that in the last days, counterfeit Christs would arise who would masquerade as the Messiah and claim to be the Savior of the world.
"Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you.' For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (Matthew 24:4-5). Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus preached His great message regarding profound events that would occur at the end of the age just prior to His Second Coming. Among those events, He said, would be false prophets and false Christs. Jesus also emphasized that these false Christs will perform great signs and miracles and deceive man.
War.
Jesus foretold that before His return, there would be "wars and rumors of wars." Skeptics and scoffers may point out that there have always been wars. It is true. There has rarely been a time when humanity has known peace. But in our modern day, there is a difference – only in the last 70 years or so have human beings had the technology, through nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, to destroy all life on planet Earth. When you read the descriptions of end-time war in the book of Revelation, you see that in the end-times, wars are not just regional concerns; they envelop the whole globe. We hope that Jesus Christ will return to save humanity from self-destruction and usher a new kingdom on earth.
He will return from heaven.
Jesus actively spoke of this during His earthly ministry. According to Jesus, the purpose of his ascent to heaven was to receive a kingdom from his Father while also returning with authority to rule the earth. Matthew 25:31 also tells us that Jesus will not return alone. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on his throne in Heavenly glory." We're not just talking about a few angels either, but "thousands upon thousands of angels" that will accompany Jesus when He returns.
He will appear in the sky.
While Scripture tells us that we won't know the time, we do know that He will return in the sky. Many people have attempted to pinpoint the time of Christ's return, but each has failed. Jesus told his disciples on the Mount of Olives, referenced in Matthew 24:36, that "No one knows about the day or the hour," so it is impossible to pinpoint the exact day or time of Jesus' return. However, we are told by Jesus that we will know when His return is near. "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. 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." These signs will point to His return.
Scoffers will come.
The apostle Peter prophesied that "Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their lusts and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' For this, they willfully forget that by the Word of God, the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men" (2 Peter 3:3-7). Why does Peter say that scoffers are so blind? First, the unregenerate minds of unbelievers resist the idea of the intervention of God in human affairs. The second reason for the blindness can be found in verse three. He was told that "the words are closed up and sealed till the end of time."
It will be visible and audible.
When Jesus returns, it will be universally visible and audible. Matthew 24:31 speaks of "a great sound of a trumpet" that stretches from "one end of heaven to the other." 1 Thessalonians 4:16 also speaks of great sound. "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God," Revelation tells us that He will be universally seen. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him" (Revelation 1:7). Jesus warns us against false comings. A reference to this can be found in Matthew 24:26-27 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son on Man."
It will be different than the first.
We are told in Scripture that the Second Coming of Jesus will be "with power and great glory." During Jesus' first coming, He humbled Himself, being born in a stable in Bethlehem and living a life on earth with great humility. However, upon his return, He will be pronounced King of Kings and Lord of Lords. On this day, in a triumphant return, the whole world will see and know who Jesus really was. Humility stands out in Jesus' first coming. Glory stands out in his second. His return will be triumphant, marked with the powerful accompaniment of angels and saints.
Many people have attempted to pinpoint the time of Christ's return, but each has failed. Jesus told his disciples on the Mount of Olives, referenced in Matthew 24:36, that "No one knows about the day or the hour," so it is impossible to pinpoint the exact day or time of Jesus' return. However, we are told by Jesus that we will know when His return is near. "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. 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." These signs will point to His return.
