7 Important Bible Verses About the Second Coming

The Bible is filled with references to the Second Coming. It is one of the most commonly referenced events in the New Testament and is hinted at in the Old Testament. It is unsurprising how often the Second Coming is discussed, given that it is one of the most important events that will ever occur.

Despite how many different places the Second Coming is mentioned, most people turn to the Book of Revelation when they think of the Second Coming. Revelation details the events that will take place before Christ returns and explains what will happen after He does. The importance of Revelation is clear, but you are missing half the story if that is the only source you consult for information.

Rereading Revelation is the perfect task for you if you want to brush up on the warning signs that the end is near or remind yourself what the world will look like after Jesus returns. These are both admirable aims, but they should not distract you from the myriad of information on the Second Coming found in other books of the Bible. Here are seven important verses about the Second Coming from outside the Book of Revelation.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Shutterstock.com

“For the Lord Himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. “

This verse describes one of the central tenants of the Christian faith: The faithful dead will be raised once again. The verse is often associated with the Rapture, the event where God gathers the faithful to Himself before the final battle. The exact nature of the Rapture is debated even today, but 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is used to uphold the idea that the faithful will be literally taken up into the clouds to join the Lord.

Regardless of how exactly you feel the Rapture will take place, this verse makes it clear that the dead will rise first. Before the Rapture occurs, all those on earth will see the Lord come and the dead rise.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 also makes it clear that the Second Coming of the Lord will be very different from the first. When Jesus was born, it was in humble surroundings under poor circumstances. When He returns, He comes “with a cry of command.” Rather than a babe in swaddling clothes, Christ comes as a king.

Acts 1:10-11

Shutterstock.com

“While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.’”

This early verse in Acts has often been interpreted as describing the literal method of how Christ returns to earth. Those who agree with such readings take the words of the angels to mean that Jesus will return just as he left and descend from heaven in a cloud. This argument is supported by similar descriptions of Christ’s second coming in other books of the Bible. Another interpretation, however, is that the words of the angels are an admonishment, not a confirmation of how Christ will return.

This latter interpretation relies largely on the early Greek versions of the Bible. In this interpretation, the angels are telling the apostles not to simply stand around waiting for Christ to return. The angels call the disciples to act on their faith, instead of staring at heaven. That He will come again is a reminder to the apostles that they were not alone in their hostile world. Jesus was with them, even though He had returned to heaven.

Hebrews 9:28

shutterstock.com

“So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”

Paul’s words in this letter make it clear that Jesus has a very different purpose when He comes again. The first time He appeared was to save us from sin. He was born and lived among the lowest of society and saw how we sinned. He walked among us, preached what would later be called the gospel and taught us how to live holy lives and avoid further sin when He was gone. Then, He was crucified and died on the cross to save us from our sins.

His Second Coming is not about sin, as Paul makes clear. When Jesus returns, He is there to save those who are waiting for Him. He comes not to heal those who are suffering or help those who have sinned, but to save those who have proven themselves to be faithful. Those who believe in Him know that He will return, and so His faithful Church is waiting “eagerly.”

Matthew 24:42-44

shutterstock.com

“Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

In the last 20 years, there have been several instances of people thinking the end of the world is here. Y2K and June 6, 2006 come to mind. In times when such sensationalism sells, it is important to remember this verse. We will not know when Christ returns until it happens. There may be signs and hints that the Second Coming approaches, but we cannot predict the actual date.

This verse would have been particularly important to the early Church. Many early Christians believed that they would live to see the Second Coming. More than one of Paul’s epistles mentions that Jesus will return soon and that the end of the world as we know it is not far away. Even though they believed the Second Coming was near, they did not believe that they knew the exact time. This is wisdom to remember today when we can predict so many things. Christ will return when we are least expecting it, but our hearts must be ready nonetheless.

John 5:28-29

Shutterstock.com

“Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

We do not, and cannot, know when the Second Coming will take place. What we do know is that it will happen and what we will see when it does. This verse tells us that all of the dead will be raised to face Judgement. We are not to be astonished when those who have died are raised from the dead for we have been told what will occur.

There is, however, another interpretation to the first part of John 5:28, “do not be astonished at this.” Many consider “this” to refer to the resurrection of the dead, but others argue that the phrase is meant to address the healing of the sick.

The verses describe preceding John 5:28–29 Jesus healing a man who was sick. Some argue that this verse is instructing us not to be amazed at such miracles, because we will witness even greater events. We are told not to be astonished at the healing of the sick because we will see the Second Coming and the resurrection of the dead, the most extraordinary miracle of all.

Titus 2:11-13

shutterstock.com

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Titus 2:11-13 tells us to live holy lives while we wait for the Second Coming. During His time on earth, Christ taught us how to live in accordance with His teachings. The Gospels are filled with descriptions of how to avoid further sin and renounce impiety. We are called to have compassion and mercy, to be charitable towards our neighbors and strangers, to avoid greed and shun pride. We are told, by Christ, to forgive and to love.

This verse reminds us that we are not supposed to spend the time before the Second Coming idly waiting. Until Jesus returns we are to work to live simple, holy lives and renounce sin. Titus 2:11-13 tells us to remember that God appeared in Christ and told us what He wants from us. Until the Second Coming, we are to not only know what Christ preached, but to practice what Jesus taught when He came the first time.

James 5:7

Shutterstock.com

“Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.”

We cannot predict the Second Coming. All we can do is wait for it. This verse cautions us to be patient while we wait for Christ to return. Whether we wait in suffering or in joy, we cannot hurry the Second Coming.

While we wait we need to live good lives. The rest of James 5 gives us some reminders of how we are supposed to live our lives while we wait for Christ. We are to pray, not judge and endure our suffering. This last was particularly important to the early Church.

Early Christians were horribly persecuted. It was not easy to wait patiently for the Second Coming when at any moment you and your family could be exposed as Christians and executed. Still, the early Christians endured. Their patience paid off and later allowed them to bring Christianity out of the shadows.

Today, we are still called upon to be patient and wait for the Second Coming. We cannot predict or control it any more than the farmer can the rain, but until it comes we are called to live as Christ taught.