Second Coming

==Christianity==
{{Main|Christian eschatology}}
{{Further|Katechon}}
{{Christian Eschatology}}
Most [[English versions of the Nicene Creed]] include the following statements:{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
{{blockquote|...he [[Ascension of Christ|ascended into heaven]] and is [[Session of Christ|seated]] at the [[Right Hand of God|right hand]] of the [[God the Father|Father]]. He will come again in his glory to [[Last Judgment|judge the living and the dead]], and [[Kingdom of God|his kingdom]] will have no end. ... We look for the [[resurrection of the dead]], and the life of the [[world to come]].}}

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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Public Sees a Future Full of Promise and Peril Section 3: War, Terrorism and Global Trends|url=http://www.people-press.org/2010/06/22/section-3-war-terrorism-and-global-trends/|date=June 22, 2010|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=Feb 1, 2016}}</ref> Belief in the Second Coming was popularised in the US in the late nineteenth century by the evangelist [[Dwight L. Moody]] and the [[Premillennialism|premillennial interpretation]] became one of the core components of [[Christian fundamentalism]] in the 1920s.

===Early Christianity===
{{see also|Olivet Discourse#Imminence|Historical Jesus#Apocalyptic prophet}}
Jesus told his [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]],

{{blockquote|Truly I tell you, this generation [greek: ''genea''] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.|Matthew 24:34–35, Mark 13:30–31, Luke 21:32–33<ref>{{bibleverse|Matt. 24:34–35; Mark 13:30–31; Luke 21:32–33|multi=yes}}</ref>}}

The most common English translation of ''genea'' is "generation",<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|24:34|ISV|Matthew 24:34 (ISV)}}</ref> which lead some to conclude that the Second Coming was to be witnessed by the people living in the same generation as Jesus. According to historian [[Charles Freeman (historian)|Charles Freeman]], [[early Christians]] expected Jesus to return within a generation of his death, and the non-occurrence of the second coming surprised them.<ref>Freeman, Charles. ''[[The Closing of the Western Mind]]'', p. 133. Vintage. 2002.</ref> [[N. T. Wright]] disputes this.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Hope Deferred? Against the Dogma of Delay |journal=Early Christianity |url=https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/252715705/Wright_2018_EC_Hopedeferred_37.pdf |last=Wright |first=N.T. |issue=1 |volume=9 |pages=37–82 |doi=10.1628/ec-2018-0003 |year=2018 |issn=1868-7032}}</ref>

In most German Bibles, ''genea'' is instead translated as "family/lineage" (Geschlecht).<ref name="Bible Gateway (German)2">{{cite web|title=Schlachter 2000|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matth%C3%A4us%2024%3A34&version=SCH2000|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Bible Gateway (German)}}</ref> Likewise for Danish, Swedish and Norwegian (slægt, släkte and slekt, respectively).<ref name="Bible Gateway (Danish)2">{{cite web|title=Dette er Biblen på dansk|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matth%C3%A6us%2024%3A34&version=DN1933|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Bible Gateway (Danish)}}</ref><ref name="Bible Gateway (Swedish)2">{{cite web|title=Svenska 1917|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matteus%2024%3A34&version=SV1917|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Bible Gateway (Swedish)}}</ref><ref name="Bible Gateway (Norwegian)2">{{cite web|title=Det Norsk Bibelselskap 1930|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matteus%2024%3A34&version=DNB1930|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Bible Gateway (Norwegian)}}</ref> The Danish linguist Iver Larsen argues that the word "generation" as it was used in the [[King James Version]] of the Bible (1611) had a wider meaning than it has today, and that the correct translation of ''genea'' in the context of the second coming is "kind of people" (specifically the "good" kind of people; the disciple's kind of people, who, like the words of Jesus, will endure through all the tribulations). In [[Psalm 14]], the King James version uses "generation" in this wide and outdated sense, when it declares that "God is in the generation of the righteous".<ref>{{bibleverse|Psalm|14|KJV|Psalm 14 (KJV)}}</ref> According to Larsen, the ''[[Oxford Universal Dictionary]]'' states that the latest attested use of ''genea'' in the sense of "class, kind or set of persons" dates from 1727. Larsen concludes that the meaning of "generation" in the English language has narrowed considerably since then.<ref name="Larsen 20102">{{cite journal|last=Larsen|first=Iver|date=2010-01-28|title=Generation is a wrong translation choice for Greek genea|url=https://www.academia.edu/37043228|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Academia.edu}}</ref>

Bible scholar Philip La Grange du Toit argues that ''genea'' is mostly used to describe a timeless and spiritual family/lineage of good or bad people in the New Testament, and that this is the case also for the second coming discourse in [[Matthew 24]]. In contrast to Larsen however, he argues that the word ''genea'' here denotes the "bad kind of people", because Jesus had used the word in that pejorative sense in the preceding context (chapter 23). He also lists the main competing translation alternatives, and some of the scholars who support the different views:

* "This generation" refers to Jesus's contemporaries who would witness "all these things" [πάντα ταῦτα] as outlined in verses 4–31, including Jesus' second coming (Davies & Allison 1997: 367–368; Hare 1993: 281; Maddox 1982: 111–115). Because Jesus' contemporaries did not witness his second coming, some contend that Jesus erred in his predictions (Luz 2005: 209; cf. Schweitzer 1910: 356–364).
* "This generation" refers to Jesus's contemporaries who would witness "all these things" as outlined in verses 4–22 or 4–28, pointing to the destruction of the temple in 70 CE and everything leading up to it. Jesus' second coming (vv. 29–31) is thus excluded from "all these things" (Blomberg 1992: 364; Carson 1984: 507; France 2007: 930; Hagner 1995: 715).
* "This generation" points to the Ἰουδαῖοι [Jews or Judaeans], implying that they as a race would last until the Parousia (Hendriksen 1973: 868–869; Schweizer 1976: 458).
* In [[patristic]] opinion, "this generation" points to the church against which the gates of [[Hades]] would not prevail (cf. [[Chrysostom]], Hom. Matt. 77:1; [[Eusebius]], Frag. in Lc. ad loc).
* 'This generation' points to some future generation, from Matthew's perspective, that sees "all these things" (Bock 1996: 538–539; Conzelmann 1982: 105).
* The words "take place" or "have happened" [γένηται] are interpreted as an ingressive [[aorist]]: "to begin" or "to have a beginning". In other words, "all these things" would start to happen in the generation of Jesus' present disciples, but would not necessarily finish in their time (Cranfield 1954: 291; Talbert 2010: 270).
* "This generation" points to a certain kind of people in accordance with the pejorative connotations to "generation" [γενεά] elsewhere in the gospel (Morris 1992: 613; Nelson 1996: 385; Rieske 2008: 225; see, e.g., Mt 11:16; 12:39, 41–42, 45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36). While DeBruyn (2010: 190) and Lenski (1943: 953) interpret the expression in a similar way, they connect "this generation" to a certain kind of people from the Ἰουδαῖοι who resisted Jesus (cf. view 3 discussed earlier).<ref name="Du Toit p.2">{{cite journal|last=Du Toit|first=Philip La Grange|date=2018-08-15|title='This generation' in Matthew 24:34 as a timeless, spiritual generation akin to Genesis 3:15|journal=Verbum et Ecclesia|publisher=AOSIS|volume=39|issue=1|page=|doi=10.4102/ve.v39i1.1850|issn=2074-7705|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Jesus is also recorded as saying,
{{blockquote|there are some standing here, which shall not taste death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.|Matthew 16:28<ref>{{bibleverse||Matt|16:28}}</ref>}}

He makes similar predictions in five other places in the Gospels.<ref>{{bibleverse||Mark|9:1}}, {{bibleverse||Mark|13:30}}, {{bibleverse||Matt|24:34}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|9:27}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|21:32.}}</ref> In religious sceptic [[Victor J. Stenger]]'s view, when the coming did not happen within the life-times of his disciples, Christianity changed its emphasis to the [[resurrection]] and promise of [[Eternal life (Christianity)|eternal life]].<ref>Victor J. Stenger (2009). Chapter 2, 'The Folly of Faith', p. 54 in "The New Atheism", published by [[Prometheus Books]], {{ISBN|978-1-59102-751-5}}.</ref> A competing view is that it is Jesus' [[Transfiguration of Jesus|coming in power on the mountain]] that provides the correct interpretative frame for the "not taste death" statement. The author of [[Second Peter]] describes the event:

{{blockquote|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 had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.|2 Peter 1:16–18<ref>{{bibleverse||2 Peter|1:16–18}}</ref>}}

===Preterism===
{{Main|Preterism}}
The position associating the Second Coming with [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st century events]] such as the [[Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70)|destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish Temple in AD 70]] is known as Preterism.<ref>1) Future Survival, [[Chuck Smith (pastor)|Chuck Smith]], The Word for Today, Costa Mesa, California, 1978, page 17

2) The Life of Jesus Critically Examined, [[David Strauss]], Sigler Press, Ramsey, New Jersey, 1994, page 587

3) Jesus and The Last Days, George Murray, [[Hendrickson Publisher]], Peabody, Massachusetts, 1993, pages 443–444

4) [[The Quest of the Historical Jesus]], Albert Schweitzer, [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]], New York, 1968, page 240

5) Last Days Madness, Gary DeMar, American Vision Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, 1994, page 114

6) The Parousia, Stuart Russell, [[T. Fisher Unwin]] Pub., London, England, 1887, page 84

7) The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, [[Penguin Books]], New York, 1985, page 276

8) Apocalypse of The Gospels, [[Milton Terry]], (1819), chapter 18 reprinted and its pages renumbered in 1992 by John Bray, Post Office Box 90129, Lakeland, Florida 33804, pages 34 & 38
</ref>

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 "[[Crucifixion darkness and eclipse|the sun will be dark]]",<ref>cf. {{bibleref2|Mark|13:24–15:33}}</ref> the "powers ... will be shaken",<ref>cf. {{bibleref2|Mark|13:25–14:63, 15:5}}</ref> and "then they will see".<ref>cf. {{bibleref2|Mark|13:26–15:31, 15:39}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Peter|3:10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Best |first=Austin |title=White Horse Media |url=http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/articles/?d=27 |work=whitehorsemedia.com}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|24:30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Best |first=Austin |title=White Horse Media |url=http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/articles/?d=61 |work=whitehorsemedia.com}}</ref>

===Catholicism===
[[Image:Last Judgement (Michelangelo).jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|''[[The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)|The Last Judgment]]'' by [[Michelangelo]] (1541) in the [[Sistine Chapel]], Rome]]
According to the [[Catholic Church]], the second coming will happen in a single moment, suddenly and unexpectedly (not even the angels, saints, or demons know when it will occur).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 12 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#1040 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> It will cause the fullness of the reign of God and the consummation of the [[universe]] and mankind.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#1042| title = Catechism of the Catholic Church 1042–1050}}</ref>

The fullness of the reign of God means God fully manifests the victory he won over his enemies (sin, suffering, and Satan) on the Cross.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 7 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#671 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> Just as God gradually revealed himself to Israel until the birth of Jesus,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 1 CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 1 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s1c2a1.htm#69 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> so God gradually manifests his victory through the church's sacraments (baptism forgiving sin and exorcising Satan, holy unction relieving suffering, etc.),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 2 SECTION 1 CHAPTER 1 ARTICLE 2 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s1c1a2.htm#1130 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> 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 universe being transfigured and the dead being resurrected, judged, and recompensed).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 12 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#1042 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 12 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#1038 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref>

The church does not believe the second coming will happen via a catastrophe (such as a [[nuclear war]] or [[extinction event]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 7 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#677 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> reincarnation (such as someone claiming to be Jesus),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 11 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a11.htm#1013 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> social or technological progress (such as mankind abolishing slavery or curing disease) or ascendancy (such as the church having political power).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 7 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#678 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> Nor does the church believe in [[double predestination]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 12 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#1037 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref>

At the moment of Jesus' arrival, three events will happen all at once in an instant, in the blink of an eye: the living will die, the universe will be transfigured, and the dead will be resurrected, judged, and recompensed. After this single instant or moment, the church does not know what will happen for the rest of eternity – only that the damned will continue to be in hell and the saved will continue to experience the [[beatific vision]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 7 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref>

The second coming is suspended until Jesus is recognized by "all of Israel",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 7 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm#674 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> and it will be followed by a final and ultimate temptation to sin – in this case, [[apostasy]] – caused by the [[antichrist]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church – PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 7 |url=http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c2a7.htm |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.scborromeo.org}}</ref> Yet there are three things that hasten the second coming: the celebration of the [[Eucharist]];<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s1c1a1.htm#1107| title = Catechism of the Catholic Church 1107}}</ref> Christians living with the mind of Jesus;<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a3.htm#2046| title = Catechism of the Catholic Church 2046}}</ref> and Christians praying for the Second Coming.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c2a7.htm#671| title = Catechism of the Catholic Church 671}}</ref>

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]]<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08552a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: General Judgment]: "Few truths are more often or more clearly proclaimed in Scripture than that of the general judgment. To it the prophets of the Old Testament refer when they speak of the '[[Day of the Lord]]' ({{bibleverse|Joel|2:31|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Ezekiel|13:5|KJV}}; 93-231700-6 register Holy BIBLE service name number Jermaine Thomas McCoy 93-231700-6 {{bibleverse|Isaiah|2:12|KJV}}), in which the nations will be summoned to judgment by the Fathers. In the New Testament the Parousia, or coming of Christ as Judge of the world, is an oft-repeated doctrine. The Saviour Himself not only foretells the event but graphically portrays its circumstances ({{bibleverse|Matthew|24:27|KJV}} sqq.;SGT john 1:18 Parish all world threw Justice hall Dean Jermaine Thomas McCoy {{bibleverse-nb|Matthew|25:31|KJV}} sqq.). The Apostles Malachi peter phophet labour give a most prominent place to this doctrine in their preaching ({{bibleverse|Acts|10:42|KJV}}; {{bibleverse-nb|Acts|17:31|KJV}}) and writings ({{bibleverse|Romans|2:5–16|KJV}}; {{bibleverse-nb|Romans|14:10|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|4:5|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Corinthians|5:10|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Timothy|4:1|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Thessalonians|1:5|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|James|5:7|KJV}}). Besides the name Parusia (parousia), or Advent ({{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|15:23|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Thessalonians|2:19}}), the Second Coming is also called Epiphany, epiphaneia, or Appearance ({{bibleverse|2 Thessalonians|2:8}}; {{bibleverse|1 Timothy|6:14|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Timothy|4:1|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Titus|2:13}}), and [[Apocalypse]] (apokalypsis), or Revelation ({{bibleverse|2 Thessalonians|2:7|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|1|Peter|4:13}}). The time of the Second Coming is spoken of as 'that Day' ({{bibleverse|2 Timothy|4:8|KJV}}), 'the day of the Lord' ({{bibleverse|1 Thessalonians|5:2|KJV}}), 'the day of Christ' ({{bibleverse|Philemon|1:6|KJV}}), 'the day of the Son of Man' ({{bibleverse|Luke|17:30|KJV}}), 'the last day' ({{bibleverse|John|6:39–40|KJV}}). The belief in the general judgment has prevailed at all times and in all places within the Church. It is contained as an article of faith in all the ancient creeds: 'He ascended into heaven. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead' ([[Apostles' Creed]]). The two shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead' ([[Nicene Creed]]). 'From thence they shall come to judge the living and the dead, at whose coming all men must rise with their bodies and are to render an account of their deeds' ([[Athanasian Creed]]). Relying on the authority of [[Papias of Hierapolis|Papias]], several Fathers of the first four centuries advanced the theory of a thousand years' terrestrial reign of Christ with the saints to precede the end of the World (see article on MILLENNIUM). Though this idea is interwoven with the eschatological teachings of those writers, it in no way detracted from their belief in a universal world-judgment. Patristic testimony to this dogma is clear and unanimous."</ref> 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, if 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 ([[Matthew 25:31]]–[[Matthew 25:46|46]]), the conjunction of the Last Judgment and the [[works of mercy]] is very frequent in the pictorial tradition of [[Christian art]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bühren |first=Ralf van |date=January 2017 |title=Caravaggio's 'Seven Works of Mercy' in Naples. The relevance of art history to cultural journalism |journal=Church, Communication and Culture |language=en |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=63–87 |doi=10.1080/23753234.2017.1287283 |s2cid=194755813 |issn=2375-3234|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy===
[[Image:T'oros Roslin Gospels, The Last Judgment, Walters Manuscript W.539, fol. 109v.jpg|thumb|300px|''The Last Judgement'' by the [[Armenian illuminated manuscripts|Armenian manuscript illuminator]] [[Toros Roslin]], 1262.]]
It is the traditional view of [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]], preserved from the early Church, that the Second Coming will be a sudden and unmistakable incident, like "a flash of lightning".<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|24:27}}</ref> They hold the general view that Jesus will not spend any time on the earth in ministry or preaching, but come to judge mankind.<ref name="orthodoxphotos%252Ecom">{{cite web|url=http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/sign/coming.shtml |title=Jesus is Coming Soon |publisher=Orthodoxphotos.com |access-date=2009-11-21}}</ref> They teach that the ministry of the Antichrist will take place right before the Second Coming.<ref name="orthodoxphotos%252Ecom" />

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".<ref name="Melketsedek1997">{{cite book |last1=Melketsedek |first1=Abba |title=The Teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church |date=1997 |publisher=Alem Publishers |page=33 |language=English}}</ref>

Orthodox layman Alexander Kalomiros explains the original Church's position regarding the Second Coming in ''River of Fire''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stnectariospress.com/the-river-of-fire|title=THE RIVER OF FIRE|work=Saint Nectarios Press and Book Center}}</ref> and ''Against False Union'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roacusa.org/htdocs/Catechism/AGAINST%20FALSE%20UNION.pdf|title=Against False Union|publisher=[[Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church]] (ROAC) of America}}</ref> stating that those who contend that Christ will reign on earth for a thousand years "do not wait for Christ, but for the Antichrist". The idea of Jesus returning to this earth as a king is a heretical concept to the Church, equated to "the expectations of the Jews who wanted the Messiah to be an earthly King." The Church instead teaches that which it has taught since the beginning.{{clarify|date=February 2024}}

===Lutheranism and Anglicanism===
[[Image:Second Coming of Christ window.jpg|thumb|The ''Second Coming of Christ'' [[stained glass]] window at [[St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church]] in [[Charleston, South Carolina]], [[United States]]]]
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 [Jesus] 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 ({{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|15:23|KJV}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=What Lutherans Teach about Christ's Second Coming |url=https://blog.cph.org/read/everyday-faith/what-lutherans-teach/what-lutherans-teach-about-christs-second-coming |publisher=[[Concordia Publishing House]] |access-date=18 May 2021 |language=English |date=4 January 2016}}</ref>

The Lutheran and Anglican churches proclaim the [[Memorial Acclamation|Mystery of Faith]] in their liturgies: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again."<ref>Anglican Church of Canada, ''Book of Alternative Services'', p. 195.</ref><ref>Paul E. Engle and John H. Armstrong, eds., Understanding Four Views on the Lord's Supper, Zondervan Counterpoints Collection (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007), p. 46.</ref><ref>Tabletalk Magazine, March 2005, The Exaltation of Christ (Lake Mary, Florida: Ligonier Ministries, 2005), p. 11.</ref>

===Methodism===
[[Methodist]] denominations teach that the Second Coming is connected with the Last Judgment, as professed in the Creeds.<ref name="Gorrie1852">{{cite book |last1=Gorrie |first1=Peter Douglass |title=Episcopal Methodism |date=1852 |publisher=Derby and Miller |page=148 |language=English}}</ref> The [[United Methodist Church]] does not teach that there will be a "[[rapture]]" or otherwise speculate on the nature of the Second Coming.<ref>{{cite web |title=What does the UMC teach about the second coming? |url=https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-does-the-united-methodist-church-teach-about-the-second-coming |publisher=The United Methodist Church |access-date=31 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

===Latter Day Saint movement===
{{main|Second Coming in Mormonism}}
The [[standard works]] of the largest denomination in the [[Latter Day Saint movement]], [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), say that Christ will return, as stated in the Bible. They also teach that {{blockquote|When the Savior comes again, He will come in power and glory to claim the earth as His kingdom. His Second Coming will mark the beginning of the Millennium. The Second Coming will be a fearful, mournful time for the wicked, but it will be a day of peace for the righteous.<ref>{{citation |contribution-url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/second-coming-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng |contribution= Second Coming of Jesus Christ |title= Study Helps: Gospel Topics |publisher= LDS Church |access-date= 2014-07-09 }}.</ref>}} 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 South America sometime after his crucifixion. This is a central tenant of the religion. https://rsc.byu.edu/jerusalem-zarahemla/when-did-jesus-visit-americas

[[Latter-day Saints]] have particularly distinct and specific interpretations of what are considered to be signs stated in the [[Book of Revelation]].<ref>{{citation |contribution-url= https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-43-signs-of-the-second-coming |contribution= Chapter 43: Signs of the Second Coming |title= Gospel Principles |place= [[Salt Lake City]], Utah |publisher= [[LDS Church]] |year= 2011 |pages= 251–256 |title-link= Gospel Principles }}.</ref>
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.<ref name="Matthew 24:14">{{Cite web |title=Matthew 24 |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/eng/scriptures/nt/matt/24 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org |language=en}}</ref> Church members believe that there will be increasingly severe wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other man-made and natural disasters prior to the Second Coming.<ref>{{lds|Doctrine and Covenants|dc|45|26}}</ref>

===Seventh-day Adventists===
{{main|Seventh-day Adventist eschatology}}
Fundamental Belief #25 of the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] states:
{{Blockquote|
The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel. The Saviour's coming will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. When He returns, the righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the righteous living will be glorified and taken to heaven, but the unrighteous will die. The almost complete fulfillment of most lines of prophecy, together with the present condition of the world, indicates that Christ's coming is imminent. The time of that event has not been revealed, and we are therefore exhorted to be ready at all times.<ref>{{bibleverse|Titus|2:13|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Hebrews|9:28|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|John|14:1–3|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Acts|1:9-11|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Matthew|24:14|KJV}}; [[Revelation 1:7]]; {{bibleverse|Matthew|24:43, 44|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|1 Thessalonians|4:13–18|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|15:51–54|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Thessalonians|1:7–10|KJV}}; {{bibleverse-nb|2 Thessalonians|2:8|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Revelation|14:14–20|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Revelation|19:11–21|KJV}}; [[Matthew 24]]; [[Mark 13]]; [[Luke 21]]; {{bibleverse|2 Timothy|3:1–5|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|1 Thessalonians|5:1–6|KJV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventist.org/fileadmin/adventist.org/files/articles/official-statements/28Beliefs-Web.pdf|title=28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventists|page=11 (last page) of the pdf file}}</ref>|}}

===Jehovah's Witnesses===
[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] rarely use the term "second coming", preferring the term "presence" as a translation of ''parousia''.<ref>"Appendix 5B Christ's Presence (Parousia)", ''New World Translation—Large Reference Edition'', [[Watch Tower Society]], 1984.</ref> They believe that Jesus' comparison of ''"the presence of the Son of man"'' with ''"the days of Noah"'' at {{bibleverse|Matthew|24:37–39|KJV}} and {{bibleverse|Luke|17:26–30|KJV}} suggests a duration rather than a moment of arrival.<ref>"Presence", ''Insight on the Scriptures – Volume 2'', ©1988 Watch Tower, p. 677.</ref> They also believe that biblical chronology points to 1914<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Awake!|title=1900 Onward—Skirts Splattered With Blood|date=November 8, 1989|page=22}}</ref> as the start of Christ's "presence", which continues until the final battle of [[Armageddon]]. Other biblical expressions they correlate with this period include "the time of the end" ({{bibleverse|Daniel|12:4|KJV}}), "the conclusion of the system of things" ({{bibleverse|Matthew|13:40|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|Matthew|13:49|KJV|49}}; {{bibleverse-nb|Matthew|24:3|KJV}}) and "the last days" ({{bibleverse|2 Timothy|3:1|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|2 Peter|3:3|KJV}})<!-- Note that preceding Scriptural citations are needed since these terms are far from universal across various Bible translations. -->.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Keep Jehovah's Day Close in Mind|journal=The Watchtower|date=September 1, 1997|page=21}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=The Watchtower|title=No Peace for the Wicked Ones|date=July 1, 1987|page=13}}</ref> Witnesses believe Christ's [[millennialism|millennial reign]] begins after Armageddon.<ref>{{cite journal|title=There Is a Future for the Dead|journal=The Watchtower|date=April 1, 1968|page=200}}</ref>

===Emanuel Swedenborg and the New Church===
[[Emanuel Swedenborg]], an 18th-century scientist turned theologian, taught that his time (that historians have called the [[Age of Enlightenment]]) was an age of darkness and doubt for the Christian church. Historian Marguerite Beck Block writes,

{{blockquote|Now therefore it was time for a new church to be founded upon the earth, and for this purpose it was necessary for the Lord Himself to make his Second Coming to the sons of men.

"The night is followed by a morning which is the coming of the Lord. ... The prevailing opinion in the churches at the present day is, that when the Lord shall come for the last judgment. He will appear in the clouds of heaven with angels and the sound of trumpets, etc.," but this opinion is erroneous. The Second Coming of the Lord is not a coming in person, but in spirit and in the Word, which is from 
Him, and is Himself. ... Heretofore it has not been known that 'the clouds of heaven' mean the Word in the sense of the letter, and that the 'glory and power' in which He is then to come, mean the spiritual sense of the Word, because no one as yet has had the least conjecture that there is a spiritual sense in the Word, such as this sense is in itself. But as the Lord has now opened to me the spiritual sense of the Word, and has granted me to be associated with angels and spirits in their world as one of them, it is now disclosed.

... This Second Coming of the Lord is effected by means of a man to whom the Lord has manifested Himself in Person, and whom He has filled with His Spirit, that he may teach the doctrines of the New Church from the Lord by means of the Word. ... That the Lord manifested Himself before me. His servant, and sent me to this office, ... I affirm in truth."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Block |first1=Marguerite Beck |title=The New Church in the New World |date=1932 |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |location=New York |page=38}}</ref>}}

===Esoteric Christian teachings===
<!-- This section is linked from [[Last Judgment]] and [[Rosicrucian Fellowship]] -->
{{See also|Last Judgment#Esoteric Christian tradition|l1=Last Judgment (Esoteric Christian tradition)}}
In [[Max Heindel]]'s teaching, there is a distinction between the cosmic Christ, or Christ without, and the Christ within.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eastern and Western Spiritual Alternatives |url=https://www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/pamen016.htm |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.rosicrucian.com}}</ref> According to this tradition, the Christ within is regarded as the true Saviour who needs to be born within each individual<ref>{{Bibleref2|Galatians|4:19}}</ref> in order to evolve toward the future Sixth [[Root Race|Epoch]] in the Earth's [[etheric plane]], that is, toward the "new heavens and a new earth":<ref>{{Bibleref2|2 Pet.|3:13}}, {{Bibleref2-nb|2Pet|3:7}}</ref> the ''[[New Galilee (Sixth Epoch)|New Galilee]].''<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Shall We Know Christ At His Coming, by Max Heindel |url=https://www.rosicrucian.com/hkc/hkceng01.htm |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=www.rosicrucian.com}}</ref> The Second Coming or Advent of the Christ is not in a physical body,<ref>{{Bibleref2|1 Cor.|15:50}}, {{Bibleref2|John|18:36}}</ref> but in the new ''soul body'' of each individual in the etheric plane of the planet<ref>{{Bibleref2|2 Cor.|5:1–3}}, Greek "politeuma" [commonwealth], "Our commonwealth is in heaven ...": {{Bibleref2|Philippians|3:20–21}}</ref> where man "shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."<ref>{{Bibleref2|Matthew|24:30}}, {{Bibleref2|1 Thess.|4:17}}, {{Bibleref2|Acts|1:10–11}}, {{Bibleref2|1 John|3:2}}</ref> The "day and hour" of this event is not known.<ref>{{Bibleref2|Matthew|24:23–27}}</ref> The esoteric Christian tradition teaches that first there will be a preparatory period as the [[Sun]] enters [[Aquarius (astrology)|Aquarius]], an [[Astrology|astrological]] concept, by precession: the coming [[Age of Aquarius]].<ref>[http://www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/magen119.htm The Aquarian Age] (cf. {{Bibleref2|1 Cor.|2:6–16}})</ref>
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