Second Coming
The Second Coming is the Christian and Islamic belief that Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his ascension to Heaven. The idea is based on messianic prophecies and is part of most Christian eschatologies.
In Islamic eschatology, Jesus is also believed to return in the end times. According to Islamic belief, he will descend from Heaven to defeat the false messiah, restore justice, and reaffirm monotheism. His return is regarded as one of the major signs of the Day of Judgment, and he is viewed as a revered prophet, not divine, in Islamic theology.
Other faiths have various interpretations of it.
Terminology
Several different terms are used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ:In the New Testament, the Greek word ἐπιφάνεια is used six times to refer to the return of Christ.
The Greek New Testament uses the Greek term parousia 24 times, seventeen of them concerning Christ. However, parousia has the distinct reference to a period of time rather than an instant in time. At, the word parousia is used to clearly describe the period of time in which Noah lived. The Greek word eleusis, which means "coming", is not interchangeable with parousia. So this parousia or "presence" would be unique and distinct from anything that had occurred before. The word is also used six times referring to individuals and once referring to the "coming of the lawless one".
Gustav Adolf Deissmann showed that the Greek word parousia occurred as early as the 3rd century BC to describe the visit of a king or dignitary to a city – a visit arranged in order to show the visitor's magnificence to the people.
In Islam, the term Rajʽa refers to the Second Coming. The term is most commonly used by Shia Muslims.
Specific date predictions and claims
Views about the nature of the Second Coming vary among Christian denominations and among individual Christians. Many specific dates have been predicted for the Second Coming, some now in the distant past, others still in the future.Christianity
Most English versions of the Nicene Creed include the following statements:A 2010 survey showed that about 40% of Americans believe that Jesus is likely to return by 2050. This varies from 58% of white evangelical Christians, through 32% of Catholics to 27% of white mainline Protestants.
Early Christianity
Most scholars participating in the third quest for the historical Jesus view Jesus as an eschatological prophet preaching the “Kingdom of God". Some critical scholars see Jesus's predictions of an imminent parousia as mistaken, while many view it from the perspective of the conditional nature of judgement prophecy. A number of interpretations of the term "Kingdom of God" have thus appeared in its eschatological context, e.g., apocalyptic, realized or inaugurated eschatologies, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars.While the notion of an apocalyptic Jesus remains a mainstream view among scholars, it has been challenged by proponents of other portraits. Scholars of the Jesus Seminar attribute apocalyptic expectations to the early Church rather than the historical Jesus. Some argued that the earlier traditions in the Q Source and Gospel of Thomas showed that apocalyptic eschatology was not present in earlier layers of the Jesus tradition. Recent scholarship has re-evaluated the apocalyptic ideas in the early Christian gospels not as a literal prediction of the end times, but as relating to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD. Scholars such as R.T. France and N.T. Wright argue that the Gospels use apocalyptic language borrowed from the Old Testament to describe the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, and passages such as Mark 13:26 concerning the "coming" of the Son of Man are not about the Second Coming, but about the vindication of the Son of Man at the Right Hand of God, where he is bestowed new authority with the Temple's destruction.
Preterism
The position associating the Second Coming with 1st century events such as the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish Temple in AD 70 is known as Preterism.Some Preterists see this "coming of the Son of Man in glory" primarily fulfilled in Jesus's death on the cross. They believe the apocalyptic signs are already fulfilled including "the sun will be dark", the "powers... will be shaken", and "then they will see". Yet some critics note that many are missing, such as "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." And "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
Catholicism
According to the Catholic Church, the second coming will happen in a single moment, suddenly and unexpectedly. It will cause the fullness of the reign of God and the consummation of the universe and mankind.The fullness of the reign of God means God fully manifests the victory he won over his enemies on the Cross. Just as God gradually revealed himself to Israel until the birth of Jesus, so also God gradually manifests his victory through the church's sacraments, until the moment when he will fully manifest his victory through the consummation of the universe and mankind, e.g., by granting the universe and mankind a share in Jesus' resurrection.
The church does not believe the second coming will happen via a catastrophe, reincarnation, social or technological progress, or ascendancy. Nor does the church believe in double predestination.
The second coming is suspended until Jesus is recognized by "all of Israel", and it will be followed by a final and ultimate temptation to sin – in this case, apostasy – caused by the antichrist. Yet there are three things that hasten the second coming: the celebration of the Eucharist; Christians living with the mind of Jesus; and Christians praying for the Second Coming.
Like many Christian denominations, the church considers this second coming of Christ to be the final and eternal judgment by God of the people in every nation resulting in the glorification of some and the punishment of others. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew.
A decisive factor in this Last Judgment during the second coming of Christ will be the question of whether the corporal and spiritual works of mercy were practised or not during lifetime. They rate as important acts of mercy, charity and justice. Therefore, and according to the Biblical sources, the conjunction of the Last Judgment and the works of mercy is very frequent in the pictorial tradition of Christian art.
Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy
It is the traditional view of Orthodox Christians, preserved from the early Church, that the Second Coming will be a sudden and unmistakable incident, like "a flash of lightning". They hold the general view that Jesus will not spend any time on the earth in ministry or preaching, but come to judge mankind. They teach that the ministry of the Antichrist will take place right before the Second Coming.The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, a part of the Oriental Orthodox communion of churches, teaches that the second coming of Jesus will be radically different from his first coming, which "was to save the lost world".
Lutheranism and Anglicanism
A reference to the second coming is contained in the Nicene Creed and Apostles Creed, which is recited during the Lutheran and Anglican liturgies: "He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead; and His kingdom shall have no end." An analogous statement is also in the biblical Pauline Creed.The Lutheran and Anglican churches proclaim the Mystery of Faith in their liturgies: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again."
Methodism
denominations teach that the Second Coming is connected with the Last Judgment, as professed in the Creeds.Methodist denominations differ on the nature of the Second Coming. For example, the United Methodist Church does not teach that there will be a "rapture". On the other hand, the Evangelical Methodist Church Conference teaches, with regard to the Second Coming of Christ:
Latter Day Saint movement
The standard works of the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, say that Christ will return, as stated in the Bible. They also teach that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its leaders do not make predictions of the actual date of the Second Coming. Mormons believe Jesus appeared to his "new world disciples" in the Americas sometime after his crucifixion. This is a central tenet of the religion.Latter-day Saints have particularly distinct and specific interpretations of what are considered to be signs stated in the Book of Revelation.
According to the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the restored gospel will be taught in all parts of the world prior to the Second Coming. Church members believe that there will be increasingly severe wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other man-made and natural disasters prior to the Second Coming.