A treasured promise for Christians is found in Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We commonly and correctly understand that this promise reaches beyond time and earthly life to find its fulfillment. This fulfillment awaits the return of Christ. Just as He came the first time to initiate redemption, He promised to come a second time to complete what began in conversion. Heaven’s message delivered by two angels at His ascension promised Christ’s Second Coming: “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Although differing on some of the details, Christians hold to the promise that Christ will come again.
As to the nature of Christ’s Second Coming, Titus 2:13 refers to it as “the blessed hope” of Christians. That same passage terms it a “glorious appearing.” Jesus spoke of this blessed and glorious event in Matthew 24:30 by saying that human eyes will “see the Son of Man coming with power and great glory.” Our description of the nature of Christ’s Second Coming must include such words as “blessed,” “glorious” and “powerful.”
As to our attitudes toward the Second Coming, the Bible sets forth several commendable ones. In the language of 1 Corinthians 1:7, our attitude should be one of “eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Or again, the idea in 2 Timothy 4:8 is that when He comes we be found having “loved His appearing.” In addition to loving and eagerly awaiting it, Titus 2:11–13 sets forth the attitudes of “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” while living “soberly, righteously and godly in the present age.”
As to the time of Christ’s Second Coming, He taught that no human knows or can know when it will occur. In fact Jesus asserted that only the Father in heaven has such knowledge (Matt. 24:36). In spite of differences among us in some of the details related to the Second Coming, Baptists have gathered around the doctrinal statement found in the Baptist Faith & Message: “God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.”
Only God knows
That God alone knows the time for Christ’s return serves a very useful purpose. It means every generation of Christians is compelled to live in expectancy, seeking to be found of Him in saving faith, righteous living and faithful service. We all live under the possibility, “What if it were today?” Although the time appointed for the Second Coming is not disclosed to us, Jesus did leave us with certain signs that would point to the nearness of His coming. He spoke of seven such signs in Matthew 24:3–14 — the appearance of many false Messiahs; the occurrence of wars and rumors of wars; a plurality of famines in the earth; frequent and scattered earthquakes; the departure of many from the faith; a diminishing of love with an accompanying increase of wickedness; and the worldwide proclamation of the gospel as a testimony to the nations. Jesus gave a word of hope in Luke 21:28 when He said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draws near.”
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