2. His Second Coming

Introduction: He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

The Belief of the Church. While “we know not the day nor the hour” (Mt. 24:36; Mk. 13:32), so that even St. Paul could think it would occur in his day (1 Thes. 4:15-17), that the Lord's return would coincide with the End of the World and the Last Judgment has not been in serious dispute until the last couple centuries. All the churches with ancient origins, whether in communion with Rome today, or not in communion, hold this unanimously: Catholic, Orthodox, Alexandrian Coptic, Ethiopian Coptic, Oriental Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic. This continuous and universal belief, evidenced in liturgical texts, such as baptismal creeds, the writings of the Fathers of the Church, and dogmatic assertions such as the Nicene Creed, is overwhelming evidence of the apostolic, and therefore, revealed truth, of this teaching.

So universal has been this doctrine, that neither Anglicanism, nor reformers such as Luther or Calvin, although willing to dispute other Catholic teachings disputed this one. 

Millenarianism (Chiliasm). Directly contrary to the belief that Christ’s Return will be at the end of the world is the belief that prior to the final judgment Christ will set up His kingdom on Earth, and it will last 1000 years. Basing itself on Revelation 20:1-7, this position holds that only after this thousand-year reign will the Lord judge all men and the resurrection occur. 

This view was occasionally held in the early centuries by individual authors, but never widely so. Since the time of St. Augustine the thousand years has been understood to refer to the time of the Church. This “Church age,” occurring between the First and Second Coming, is when His Mystical Body exercising the authority given it to teach, to apply the redemption through the sacraments, and to govern and act as One Body, carries out His redemptive ministry “until he comes again”. 

Among contemporary groups who expect a Christian millennium there are a variety of views on the relation of the elements of Christ’s discourse in Matthew 24 (tribulation, antichrist etc.) to this temporal reign, but all agree it a literal earthly reign in which Christ is triumphant on earth prior to His definitive and eternal reign.

In this, there are similarities with Jewish expectations for the Messiah, who is expected to bring triumph to Israel against its foes, re-establish the Temple and Sacrifice in Jerusalem, and reign from Mount Sion. Unfortunately, among the Fathers, the Antichrist is seen as such a figure.  

A. It will be at the end of the world

Daniel 7:13-15   I saw in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom that all peoples nations and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Mt 16:27 For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. 

Mt 24:30 then will appear the sign of the Son of man 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; 

Mt. 25:31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 

Mt 26:64  Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 

Mk 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 

Mk 13:26 And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 

Lk 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 

Lk 17:24, 26  For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day. ... 26 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man. 

Lk 21:27 And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 

John 6:39  and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. 

Acts 1:11  “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” 

1 Thes. 3:13  so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 

1 Thes 4:15-17 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, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; 17 then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Thes 5:1-2:23 But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 

2 Thes. 1:6-8. since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

1 Cor. 1:7-8  so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

2 Pt 1:16  For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. {referencing the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor]

1 Jn. 2:28  And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 

James 5:7-9  Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors.

Jude 14  It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, 

Didache* Ch XVI, vv,6-8   And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first, the sign of an outspreading (opening) in heaven; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the third, the resurrection of the dead; 7yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. 8 Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.

B. Antichrist will be Destroyed

2 Thes. 2:9-11  The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, 

*Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles is a late 1st century work which commanded sufficient authority as being apostolic in origin that it was included in some early lists of Sacred Scripture, but not ultimately in that attributed to the Council of Rome in 382, used by St. Jerome for his Latin Vulgate translation, or promulgated by St. Augustine in North Africa in the 390s. 

N.B. All Scripture citations are from The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).