![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Joshua-Schachterle-Bart-Ehrman-Author-1-1.png\" "\\"Joshua")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Written by Joshua Schachterle, Ph.D<\/a><\/p>\n Author | \u00a0Professor | Scholar<\/p>\n Author | \u00a0Professor | BE Contributor<\/p>\n Verified! \u00a0See our editorial guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n Verified! \u00a0See our guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n\nDate written: May 29th, 2025\n\nDate written: May 29th, 2025\n Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. – Dr. Bart D. Ehrman<\/p>\n What is the Second Coming of Christ? It is the belief that Jesus will one day return to earth \u2014 and one of the central tenets of Christian eschatology<\/strong>. For many believers, it represents not only the culmination of God\u2019s plan for humanity but also a moment of ultimate justice and redemption. But how did this belief emerge, and what does the Bible actually say about it? Was the Second Coming of Christ a late addition to Christian doctrine, or was it a foundational part of the faith from the beginning?<\/p>\n In this article, I\u2019ll trace the development of the idea of the Second Coming of Christ through key New Testament texts. Along the way, we\u2019ll explore what early Christians believed about Jesus\u2019 return, how those beliefs were shaped by Jewish apocalyptic traditions, and how different authors depicted what would happen when Jesus came again.<\/p>\n By examining the biblical sources themselves, we can better understand not only the origins of this enduring belief, but why it has remained so powerful throughout Christian history.<\/p>\n How early did the belief in the Second Coming of Christ become common among early Christians?<\/strong> One way to decide this is to look at biblical texts that clearly refer to it. While there are many verses referring to the return of Jesus, in this article I\u2019ll look at them chronologically, to the extent that it\u2019s possible. We know, for example, that Paul\u2019s letters were written before the Gospels, so let\u2019s start with Paul\u2019s take on the Second Coming.<\/p>\n In the Jewish Annotated New Testament<\/a>, David Fox Sandmel writes that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul\u2019s letters. It was written around the year 50 CE, which also makes it the oldest book in the New Testament<\/a> and, thus, a good place to start.<\/p>\n (Affiliate Disclaimer: We may earn commissions on products you purchase through this page at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our site!<\/em>)<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear that this letter is at least partially a response by Paul to questions from members of the church that he started in the city of Thessaloniki. When this letter was written, it had already been about 20 years since Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection. Paul was sure that Jesus would return imminently, reflecting his belief in the general resurrection of the righteous at the end of time which he believed had been initiated by Jesus\u2019 resurrection. However, some members of the Thessalonian church had died in the years since the founding of their church. Would these deceased people be saved when Jesus\u2019 came back?<\/p>\n In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Paul<\/a> reassures them that these dead members will also be saved:<\/p>\n But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel\u2019s call and with the sound of God\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n These verses have long been used to justify belief in the Rapture, in which Jesus returns and all Christians go up with him to heaven, leaving non-Christians behind. However, that may not be what Paul is talking about here.<\/p>\n Bart Ehrman<\/a> points out that Paul leaves a lot of questions unanswered in this passage. Among them is whether the believers would go up to heaven with Jesus or whether he would come down with them and establish his kingdom on earth. This and other questions are probably not answered because Paul had long been preaching about this to the Thessalonians, and they already knew his answers; there was no need for Paul to reiterate them.<\/p>\n Having said all that, it\u2019s clear that well before 50 CE when 1 Thessalonians was written, Paul had told the churches he\u2019d founded that Jesus would return<\/strong>. However, it\u2019s also interesting to note that Paul says that no one knows when exactly Jesus will return. In 1 Thessalonians 5:2 he says the day will come unexpectedly \u201clike a thief in the night,\u201d and that they should, therefore, remain prepared at all times. Later, I\u2019ll discuss predictions about when Jesus would return.<\/p>\n Next we have the Gospel of Mark, written in 70 CE, or 20 years after 1 Thessalonians. What do Mark\u2019s early Jesus traditions say about the Second Coming of Christ? In Mark 14:61-62, we see Jesus being questioned before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme council:<\/p>\n Again the high priest asked him, \u201cAre you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?\u201d Jesus said, \u201cI am, and\u2018you will see the Son of Manseated at the right hand of Power\u2019and \u2018coming with the clouds of heaven.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Jesus\u2019 words in this passage are drawn from two Hebrew Bible passages, Psalms 110:1 and Daniel 7:13, in order to prove that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy. Notice that the juxtaposition of these two quotes means both that Jesus will ultimately be seated at God\u2019s right hand and that he will return to earth in a glorious fashion.<\/p>\n Matthew\u2019s Gospel<\/a> has several quotations about the Second Coming of Christ, but two are especially relevant to our discussion. First, in Matthew 16:27-28, Jesus says<\/p>\n For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.<\/p>\n Not only will Jesus return, but some of the people around Jesus will still be alive when he returns. Like Paul, the author of Matthew thought the Second Coming was imminent. However, also like Paul, Jesus says \u201cKeep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.\u201d In other words, he is coming very soon, but you won\u2019t be able to predict when. Implied in this statement is that one shouldn\u2019t try to predict when he is coming.<\/p>\n Skipping forward in time again, we find the book of Hebrews, written sometime between 80-100 CE. Many early Christians originally thought this book was written by Paul, but the vast majority of scholars no longer believe this. For one thing, Paul died about 20 years before this book was written. However, it is clear that this anonymous author would have agreed with Paul about the Second Coming:<\/p>\n And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once and after that the judgment, 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.<\/p>\n While the author of Hebrews certainly believes Christ will appear again, he doesn\u2019t talk about how: there are no clouds of heaven or angels in this passage. That might mean that such a glorious arrival was already assumed and thus went without saying, but we can\u2019t know for sure.<\/p>\n Finally, jumping forward to 96 CE, the book of Revelation was written. Its author, a Jewish Christian named John (sometimes called John of Patmos, referring to the island on which he wrote the book), had a lot to say about Jesus\u2019 Second Coming. In Rev. 1:7, in fact, he refers to the image of Jesus coming on the clouds, just as Paul and the Gospels say:<\/p>\n Look! He is coming with the clouds;every eye will see him,even those who pierced him,and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.<\/p>\n Even at this early stage of the book, we see an important difference in John\u2019s version of the Second Coming. John\u2019s Jesus indeed comes with the clouds, but he seems to come not only in order to save Christians but also to enact revenge upon their enemies<\/strong>. Notice that \u201ceven those who pierced him\u201d \u2014 that is, the Romans \u2014 will see him and all nations will cry because of his return, presumably because Jesus\u2019 Second Coming signals the beginning of God\u2019s ruthless wrath upon those who have oppressed his people.<\/p>\n John\u2019s Jesus makes this revenge motif clear in Rev. 22:12 when he says \u201cBehold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.\u201d This ruthless, warlike Jesus finds a culmination in Rev. 19:11-16:<\/p>\n Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. …<\/p>\n Jewish apocalypticism has abundant images of war and violence like this, whether in the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Books of Enoch. But while Christ as judge is common in Second Coming references, this is the most violent depiction of Jesus in the entire NT.<\/p>\n So what can we conclude from these references? First, belief in Jesus\u2019 return probably began fairly soon after his death and resurrection. Most scholars agree that Paul\u2019s conversion experience happened within 4-7 years of Jesus\u2019 death. Since Paul was so adamant that Jesus would return, this puts a very early date on this belief. It is possible that Jesus\u2019 disciples believed it right after his death. Whatever the case, it is clear from the NT references that the belief in Jesus returning was widespread among early Christians.<\/p>\n In addition, many early Christians seem to have believed that Jesus\u2019 Second Coming was a fulfillment of prophecy, that just like the \u201cone like a son of man\u201d in Daniel, Jesus would come on the clouds to rule the world on God\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n The only place we find a possible difference in opinion is when we look at the bloodthirsty Jesus of Revelation. While Paul and the other NT authors certainly refer to God\u2019s wrath at the end of days, none of them go into as much bloody, militaristic detail as John of Patmos. That is, while most believed Jesus would come back, there might have been some disagreement on what he would do after his return<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Don’t Miss Bart Ehrman’s New Webinar:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n “Will You Be Left Behind? A History of The Rapture”<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n 50-minute lecture by critically acclaimed Biblical Scholar & 6 NYT best-selling author, Dr. Bart Ehrman, to be turned into an online course<\/p>\n __CONFIG_colors_palette__{“active_palette”:0,”config”:{“colors”:{“62516”:{“name”:”Main Accent”,”parent”:-1}},”gradients”:[]},”palettes”:[{“name”:”Default Palette”,”value”:{“colors”:{“62516”:{“val”:”rgb(255, 133, 34)”,”hsl”:{“h”:26,”s”:0.99,”l”:0.5667}}},”gradients”:[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__ JOIN BART NOW!<\/strong> <\/a> It\u2019s safe to say that if Paul were alive today, he\u2019d be completely shocked that Jesus has not yet returned. It turns out that he and his whole generation of early Christians were wrong about how soon the Second Coming would happen.<\/p>\n When is Jesus coming back? Although Paul and the Jesus of the Gospels say that human beings cannot know the exact time when Jesus will come back, this hasn\u2019t stopped many, many people from trying to fix a date for that return in advance. Let\u2019s look at some of those.<\/p>\n In 1532, a German monk and mathematician named Michael Stifel published an unusual tome called A Book of Arithmetic about the Antichrist: A Revelation in the Revelation. In this book, Stifel claimed to have applied his mathematical knowledge to the book of Revelation, coming up with a date and time when the world would end and Jesus would come: October 19, 1533. When this forecast proved wrong, Stifel ended his career as a predictor of the Second Coming.<\/p>\n In his book Prophets of Doom<\/a>, Daniel Cohen writes about Johann Jacob Zimmermann, a German theologian who, in the 17th century, predicted that Jesus would return and the world would end in the year 1694. Conveniently, he died in 1693, never knowing that he had been wrong.<\/p>\n In the Rough Guide to the Millennium<\/a>, Nick Hanna writes that famed 20th-century psychic Edgar Cayce predicted the end of the world and the return of Christ in the year 2000. Cayce died in 1945, long before his prophecy would fail.<\/p>\n When is Jesus coming back? A number of people in the past predicted that Jesus would return at a date that has yet to happen<\/strong>. For example, mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton used a series of convoluted calculations to conclude that the apocalypse detailed in the book of Revelation, including Jesus\u2019 return, would occur in the year 2060. We will see.<\/p>\n Christians have long believed that Jesus\u2019 time here in the 1st century CE was only the first of his visits. They believe he will return to earth and, although there is some disagreement about what will happen after that, this will, in some sense, end the current world.<\/p>\n Paul is our earliest reference to the Second Coming of Christ. Whatever else he believed, he thought that Jesus\u2019 resurrection was only the beginning of a general resurrection predicted by prophecy and believed in by many pious Jews of his time, including the Pharisees. It seems clear from Paul\u2019s references, and the fact that he converted so soon after Jesus\u2019 death, that this belief in Jesus\u2019 Second Coming began very early in the movement.<\/p>\n The Gospels mostly follow suit, saying that Jesus will return as judge of the living and the dead, subsequently ruling the world on God\u2019s behalf. The book of Hebrews also espouses this belief, although its author is a bit more vague in describing the actual events coinciding with Jesus\u2019 return. Then there\u2019s the book of Revelation.<\/p>\n In Revelation, Jesus indeed comes back \u2014 with a vengeance! He is riding a war horse, has a vicious, double-edged sword, and a garment dipped in blood. He is furious and John says that he slaughters the enemies of God, including the Romans who crucified Jesus and any other nations who have oppressed God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n Since humans are never good at dealing with uncertainty, many throughout history have tried in vain to predict when Jesus would return. They did this in spite of the fact that both Paul and the Jesus of the Gospels say that only God can know.<\/p>\n Despite all these failed predictions, perhaps at heart the idea of Jesus\u2019 return is a message of hope: Things may look bad now, but they\u2019re going to get better.<\/p>\n Don’t Miss Bart Ehrman’s New Webinar:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n “Will You Be Left Behind? A History of The Rapture”<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n 50-minute lecture by critically acclaimed Biblical Scholar & 6 NYT best-selling author, Dr. Bart Ehrman, to be turned into an online course<\/p>\n __CONFIG_colors_palette__{“active_palette”:0,”config”:{“colors”:{“62516”:{“name”:”Main Accent”,”parent”:-1}},”gradients”:[]},”palettes”:[{“name”:”Default Palette”,”value”:{“colors”:{“62516”:{“val”:”rgb(255, 133, 34)”,”hsl”:{“h”:26,”s”:0.99,”l”:0.5667}}},”gradients”:[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__ JOIN BART NOW!<\/strong> <\/a> The Second Coming of Christ: How the Bible Describes Jesus\u2019 Return Written by Joshua Schachterle, Ph.D Author | \u00a0Professor | Scholar Author | \u00a0Professor | BE Contributor Verified! \u00a0See our editorial guidelines Verified! \u00a0See our guidelines Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":20358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":" Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman<\/p><\/div> What is the Second Coming of Christ? It is the belief that Jesus will one day return to earth \u2014 and one of the central tenets of Christian eschatology<\/strong>. For many believers, it represents not only the culmination of God\u2019s plan for humanity but also a moment of ultimate justice and redemption. But how did this belief emerge, and what does the Bible actually say about it? Was the Second Coming of Christ a late addition to Christian doctrine, or was it a foundational part of the faith from the beginning?<\/p> In this article, I\u2019ll trace the development of the idea of the Second Coming of Christ through key New Testament texts. Along the way, we\u2019ll explore what early Christians believed about Jesus\u2019 return, how those beliefs were shaped by Jewish apocalyptic traditions, and how different authors depicted what would happen when Jesus came again.<\/p> By examining the biblical sources themselves, we can better understand not only the origins of this enduring belief, but why it has remained so powerful throughout Christian history.<\/p><\/div> How early did the belief in the Second Coming of Christ become common among early Christians?<\/strong> One way to decide this is to look at biblical texts that clearly refer to it. While there are many verses referring to the return of Jesus, in this article I\u2019ll look at them chronologically, to the extent that it\u2019s possible. We know, for example, that Paul\u2019s letters were written before the Gospels, so let\u2019s start with Paul\u2019s take on the Second Coming.<\/p> In the Jewish Annotated New Testament<\/a>, David Fox Sandmel writes that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul\u2019s letters. It was written around the year 50 CE, which also makes it the oldest book in the New Testament<\/a> and, thus, a good place to start.<\/p> (Affiliate Disclaimer: We may earn commissions on products you purchase through this page at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our site!<\/em>)<\/p> It\u2019s clear that this letter is at least partially a response by Paul to questions from members of the church that he started in the city of Thessaloniki. When this letter was written, it had already been about 20 years since Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection. Paul was sure that Jesus would return imminently, reflecting his belief in the general resurrection of the righteous at the end of time which he believed had been initiated by Jesus\u2019 resurrection. However, some members of the Thessalonian church had died in the years since the founding of their church. Would these deceased people be saved when Jesus\u2019 came back?<\/p> In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Paul<\/a> reassures them that these dead members will also be saved:<\/p><\/div> But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel\u2019s call and with the sound of God\u2019s 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.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div> These verses have long been used to justify belief in the Rapture, in which Jesus returns and all Christians go up with him to heaven, leaving non-Christians behind. However, that may not be what Paul is talking about here.<\/p> Bart Ehrman<\/a> points out that Paul leaves a lot of questions unanswered in this passage. Among them is whether the believers would go up to heaven with Jesus or whether he would come down with them and establish his kingdom on earth. This and other questions are probably not answered because Paul had long been preaching about this to the Thessalonians, and they already knew his answers; there was no need for Paul to reiterate them.<\/p> Having said all that, it\u2019s clear that well before 50 CE when 1 Thessalonians was written, Paul had told the churches he\u2019d founded that Jesus would return<\/strong>. However, it\u2019s also interesting to note that Paul says that no one knows when exactly Jesus will return. In 1 Thessalonians 5:2 he says the day will come unexpectedly \u201clike a thief in the night,\u201d and that they should, therefore, remain prepared at all times. Later, I\u2019ll discuss predictions about when Jesus would return.<\/p> Next we have the Gospel of Mark, written in 70 CE, or 20 years after 1 Thessalonians. What do Mark\u2019s early Jesus traditions say about the Second Coming of Christ? In Mark 14:61-62, we see Jesus being questioned before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme council:<\/p><\/div> Again the high priest asked him, \u201cAre you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?\u201d Jesus said, \u201cI am, and Jesus\u2019 words in this passage are drawn from two Hebrew Bible passages, Psalms 110:1 and Daniel 7:13, in order to prove that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy. Notice that the juxtaposition of these two quotes means both that Jesus will ultimately be seated at God\u2019s right hand and that he will return to earth in a glorious fashion.<\/p> Matthew\u2019s Gospel<\/a> has several quotations about the Second Coming of Christ, but two are especially relevant to our discussion. First, in Matthew 16:27-28, Jesus says<\/p><\/div> For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div> Not only will Jesus return, but some of the people around Jesus will still be alive when he returns. Like Paul, the author of Matthew thought the Second Coming was imminent. However, also like Paul, Jesus says \u201cKeep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.\u201d In other words, he is coming very soon, but you won\u2019t be able to predict when. Implied in this statement is that one shouldn\u2019t try to predict when he is coming.<\/p> Skipping forward in time again, we find the book of Hebrews, written sometime between 80-100 CE. Many early Christians originally thought this book was written by Paul, but the vast majority of scholars no longer believe this. For one thing, Paul died about 20 years before this book was written. However, it is clear that this anonymous author would have agreed with Paul about the Second Coming:<\/p><\/div> And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once and after that the judgment, 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.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div> While the author of Hebrews certainly believes Christ will appear again, he doesn\u2019t talk about how: there are no clouds of heaven or angels in this passage. That might mean that such a glorious arrival was already assumed and thus went without saying, but we can\u2019t know for sure.<\/p> Finally, jumping forward to 96 CE, the book of Revelation was written. Its author, a Jewish Christian named John (sometimes called John of Patmos, referring to the island on which he wrote the book), had a lot to say about Jesus\u2019 Second Coming. In Rev. 1:7, in fact, he refers to the image of Jesus coming on the clouds, just as Paul and the Gospels say:<\/p><\/div> Look! He is coming with the clouds; Even at this early stage of the book, we see an important difference in John\u2019s version of the Second Coming. John\u2019s Jesus indeed comes with the clouds, but he seems to come not only in order to save Christians but also to enact revenge upon their enemies<\/strong>. Notice that \u201ceven those who pierced him\u201d \u2014 that is, the Romans \u2014 will see him and all nations will cry because of his return, presumably because Jesus\u2019 Second Coming signals the beginning of God\u2019s ruthless wrath upon those who have oppressed his people.<\/p> John\u2019s Jesus makes this revenge motif clear in Rev. 22:12 when he says \u201cBehold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.\u201d This ruthless, warlike Jesus finds a culmination in Rev. 19:11-16:<\/p><\/div> Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ...<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div> Jewish apocalypticism has abundant images of war and violence like this, whether in the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Books of Enoch. But while Christ as judge is common in Second Coming references, this is the most violent depiction of Jesus in the entire NT.<\/p> So what can we conclude from these references? First, belief in Jesus\u2019 return probably began fairly soon after his death and resurrection. Most scholars agree that Paul\u2019s conversion experience happened within 4-7 years of Jesus\u2019 death. Since Paul was so adamant that Jesus would return, this puts a very early date on this belief. It is possible that Jesus\u2019 disciples believed it right after his death. Whatever the case, it is clear from the NT references that the belief in Jesus returning was widespread among early Christians.<\/p> In addition, many early Christians seem to have believed that Jesus\u2019 Second Coming was a fulfillment of prophecy, that just like the \u201cone like a son of man\u201d in Daniel, Jesus would come on the clouds to rule the world on God\u2019s behalf.<\/p> The only place we find a possible difference in opinion is when we look at the bloodthirsty Jesus of Revelation. While Paul and the other NT authors certainly refer to God\u2019s wrath at the end of days, none of them go into as much bloody, militaristic detail as John of Patmos. That is, while most believed Jesus would come back, there might have been some disagreement on what he would do after his return<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div> It\u2019s safe to say that if Paul were alive today, he\u2019d be completely shocked that Jesus has not yet returned. It turns out that he and his whole generation of early Christians were wrong about how soon the Second Coming would happen.<\/p> When is Jesus coming back? Although Paul and the Jesus of the Gospels say that human beings cannot know the exact time when Jesus will come back, this hasn\u2019t stopped many, many people from trying to fix a date for that return in advance. Let\u2019s look at some of those.<\/p> In 1532, a German monk and mathematician named Michael Stifel published an unusual tome called A Book of Arithmetic about the Antichrist: A Revelation in the Revelation. In this book, Stifel claimed to have applied his mathematical knowledge to the book of Revelation, coming up with a date and time when the world would end and Jesus would come: October 19, 1533. When this forecast proved wrong, Stifel ended his career as a predictor of the Second Coming.<\/p>![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/The-Second-Coming-of-Christ.png\" "\\"The")
<\/p>\nWhat Will Happen When Jesus Returns? Biblical Views<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quote-down.png\" "\\"quote")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quote-up.png\" "\\"quote")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Will-You-Be-Left-Behind-Online-Course.png\" "\\"Will")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhen Is Jesus Coming Back?<\/h2>\n
![\"Jesus\u2019](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jesus-return.png\" "\\"Jesus\u2019")
<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n\t__CONFIG_colors_palette__{\"active_palette\":0,\"config\":{\"colors\":{\"62516\":{\"name\":\"Main Accent\",\"parent\":-1}},\"gradients\":[]},\"palettes\":[{\"name\":\"Default Palette\",\"value\":{\"colors\":{\"62516\":{\"val\":\"var(--tcb-skin-color-0)\"}},\"gradients\":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__<\/div>\n\t\n\t\tEnd Times<\/span><\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>The Second Coming of Christ: How the Bible Describes Jesus\u2019 Return<\/h2><\/div>
__CONFIG_post_symbol__{\"id\":\"17826\"}__CONFIG_post_symbol__<\/div><\/div>\t<\/span><\/div>What Will Happen When Jesus Returns? Biblical Views<\/h2><\/div>
\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\u2018you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of Power\u2019
and \u2018coming with the clouds of heaven.\u2019 \u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him,
and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\t__CONFIG_post_symbol__{\"id\":\"9432\"}__CONFIG_post_symbol__<\/div><\/div>When Is Jesus Coming Back?<\/h2><\/div>