Is Jesus' Second Coming Near?

The collapsing world, end times prophecies and our yearning for a new creation

In his book, “Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel,” Baptist theologian and writer Russell Moore describes a conversation he once had with a lesbian progressive activist. In what he describes as a civil exchange, the two of them were able to talk about their respective beliefs until she brought up the matter of sexual ethics. That’s when it became clear that Moore’s biblical convictions and her lifestyle choices were so far apart that there was no basis for further dialogue. “So do you see how strange what you’re saying sounds to us, to those of us out here in normal America?" she finally asked him. His response was perfect. “Yes, I do,” he said. “It sounds strange to me too. But what you should know is, we believe even stranger things than that. We believe a previously dead man is going to show up in the sky, on a horse.”

I have to confess that I love that story—I’m sure that it’s true—more than I should. Not just for the sheer fun of it but also for the truth it expresses. Moore’s response captures the essence of the biblical teaching regarding Jesus’ Second Coming in several ways. First, it’s a bedrock conviction of the Christian faith. Second, it makes no sense to unbelievers. Third, it’s such an odd and startling belief that it marks believers as counter-cultural even more than our conservative sexual convictions.

For those familiar with biblical teaching on the subject, Moore’s comment is familiar. His particular reference was to Revelation 19:16, and the Apostle John’s vision of Jesus’ return:

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….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. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:16)

The Book of Revelation doesn’t stand alone but builds on previous scriptures addressing the same topic. For example, in the Gospel of Luke, as Jesus’ crucifixion draws near, he comforts his disciples by reassuring them that following his death and resurrection, he will return to earth. He goes on to tell them—as well as every believer who follows them—to keep their eyes fixed on the sky because one day he will come again. Only this time not as the helpless victim of his first coming but as the glorious King come to take authority over all the earth:

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the seas and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:25-28)

Luke’s gospel, in turn, rests on still earlier statements of the Second Coming of Jesus. All the way back in the Old Testament book of Daniel, the same event is glimpsed through prophetic vision:

And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

My point isn’t to do a Bible survey but simply to point out that Jesus’ Second Coming isn’t an outlier in biblical revelation or a minor theological point that can be ignored for the sake of more important truths. Jesus’ return to earth is embedded in the overall redemptive story from beginning to end and is the whole point of the larger narrative: the same Jesus who was the agent of creation at the beginning as the Second Person of the Triune God will reclaim his inheritance at the end. Russell Moore’s response to the lesbian progressive activist wasn’t a mic drop moment, it was a statement of fact. Jesus is coming back.

Many people—I count myself in this group—look at what’s going on in the world today and can’t help but to think that the Second Coming could be soon. While End Times prophecies are everywhere (and with wildly different degrees of believability), several stand out to me as sane and credible. The first has to do with the nation of Israel. To my mind, no political, military or economic forces on a human level can account for Israel’s establishment as a nation in 1948. Neither is there a human reason that the wars fought against it since then—including today’s on-going war in Gaza—haven’t been succesful. Against all odds and surrounded by enemies on all sides, the Jewish nation continues to flourish. As biblical prophets and many of their modern interpreters point out, the state of Israel is a key piece to be in place before Jesus’ return. The fact of its existence today is a sign that the divine clock is ticking.

Another sign of Jesus’ imminent return is the growing persecution of believers throughout the world. When Jesus spoke of his followers’ persecution in the days leading up to his return, he may well have been describing our own age:

…they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them…And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake…But in those days, after that tribulation…they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:9-26)

From the “hard” persecution of Iran, China and many countries in the Middle East that can result in imprisonment or even death of believers to the “soft” persecution of western democracies that punish believers for their stance on moral issues like sexuality and abortion with financial penalties, persecution is real and growing. It’s not hard to read in the book of Revelation of martyred souls resting beneath the altar in heaven’s throne room and hear in their cries for Jesus’ return the voices of those martyred in our own world crying for the same thing.

The growing violence of the world is, to me, another sign that Jesus’ return is growing near. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars,” the Lord says as an indication of the nearness of the date of his return. “For nation will rise against nation, and kindgom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6-7) I don’t claim to be a prophet or have the gift of interpreting prophecies, but it doesn’t take special insight to look at the 231 million worldwide deaths suffered in all military conflicts in the 20th century and realize that Jesus’ words seem to be pointing to our time. But beyond the wars themselves there’s the growing sense that the world is out of control and without divine intervention we will destroy ourselves. That’s why John the Apostle’s prayer is on the hearts of many people today: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

Another, more ominous sign of Jesus’ return lies in a different direction, away from the political implications of the Israel’s existence, the persecution of believers and the violent realities of war. This sign has to do with the rise of that shadowy, enigmatic figure that the Bible calls, “Antichrist.” While the antichrist is described in different ways through the New Testament, his basic role is reflected in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 where he’s labelled “the man of lawlessness”:

“For that day [Jesus’ Second Coming] will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

I don’t have any special insight into the antichrist or how he might deceive many throughout the world in the days leading up to Jesus’ return. But it’s hard for me to look at the growth of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in technologies like ChatGPT that have evolved to the point where no one really understands how they work, and not glimpse something deeply unsettling. Before you think I’m wearing a tin foil hat, let me assure you that I’m not saying AI is demonic or that it’s the antichrist. I’m saying that the technology behind AI is so little understood—calling it “magic” isn’t far off course—that we don’t know what will happen with it or through it. At the very least, AI raises issues outside the normal categories of intellect, reason and science and are found instead in the realm of religion and the spirit. Even at the highest levels of AI research, some scientists today believe that this new technology could be in some sense a conduit for non-human intelligences seeking to communicate with humans. It’s not too far a reach to wonder if great evil—perhaps as great as the Antichrist—might not be on the doorstep and we’re so caught up in the wonders of technology that he’s ushered into our world without our knowing.

Signs of Jesus’ return are all around us, but he hasn’t arrived just yet. So how are believers to live in this in-between time? How to orient ourselves to the moment when the skies split open and the Lord makes his appearance (parousia, the Greek word used to describe Jesus’ return in the New Testament means “appearance”) and in an instant everything changes as suddenly as when the sun leaps above the horizon at dawn and chases night away?

I read an explanation of our situation years ago that captures our situation exactly and gives an idea of where we find ourselves in these times.

Suppose you’re driving your car to visit the Grand Canyon, that awe-inspiring natural site that’s 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and over a mile deep. A geological marvel unlike any other, it’s so massive, so impressive, so unique that people from all over come to visit. The road you’re driving heads straight toward the canyon’s rim, and the closer you get the more excited you are to see its beauty and grandeur. You also notice that the nearer you draw to the canyon, the more evident are the signs of its presence. The land flattens, the wind picks up and ahead you glimpse the air itself trembling as cool air rises from the river down below into the warmer temperatures above. Most of all, you can sense the great emptiness of the canyon just ahead. Indeed, it’s impossible to miss.

But just as you get close enough to the canyon to actually park at its edge, the road makes a sharp turn, so much so that your vector shifts from a perpendicular track toward the canyon to a parallel track alongside of it. Instead of looking directly ahead at the canyon, you’re now driving along its edge and peering at it through your side window. The Grand Canyon is still there, the signs of its nearness are all around, and you still must contend with the way the road clings to its edge. But instead of being parked at the canyon itself you’re travelling in its close proximity. It’s near but not quite present. Close but not quite as close as if your car was parked and you were walking along its paths.

So it is with Jesus’ Second Coming. We live for that moment when our Lord will return; and the signs of that moment are growing more evident with each passing day. But as close as it is, that moment isn’t quite here yet. And so we live with it in view as a driver travelling a road parallel to the Grand Canyon, our eyes focused on the sky and our hearts lifted in hope, waiting for that blessed moment when history will be completed and Jesus revealed in all his glory and power.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!