3 Things Jesus Will Do When He Comes Back

Type of Doctrine: Primary

"'Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end' . . . He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"

- Revelation 22:12-13, 20

Why does it matter?

The second coming of Jesus matters because it is on this day that, according to the Bible, all bad things will be removed. Sin, sickness, sadness, suffering, and Satan will all be put to an end by our good and powerful God.

However, these reasons are not the main reason it matters. Here is the main reason that the second coming of Jesus matters: we love him and find more joy in him than anyone or anything else.

Peter writes, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Pet. 1:8-9). Our eyes will see and our joy will be full on that day.

What is it?

There are two main ditches that we can fall into in response to learning about the second coming of Christ. The first ditch is totally disregarding it, being unprepared and acting as if it will never happen (1 Thess. 5:1-11). The second ditch, however, is taking it to heart but abandoning our responsibilities here on earth. In this case we are responding as if we don't need to continue working, pursuing peace, helping and encouraging others, praying, worshiping, being thankful, rejoicing, and building relationships; however, right after talking about the return of the Lord, Paul tells the Thessalonians to do precisely these things (1 Thess. 5:12-20). Therefore, we should both watch and work, continuing our lives but in a manner of anticipation and infused with deep meaning and hope.

With this in mind, here are the 3 main things that Jesus will do when he comes back (though theologians differ on the precise timing of these events they all agree that these things will take place at some point when Jesus returns).

The following section draws from the article on last things in the back of the ESV Study Bible (pp. 2533-2534); I highly recommend reading it. For a discussion on the millennium, please click here.

3 Things Jesus Will Do When He Returns

#1 | Jesus will catch believers up in the air.

Paul is concerned, knowing that the Thessalonian believers are grieving some people who have died, and he wants to make sure that they have hope rather than despair and hopelessness (1 Thess. 4:13-14). So, he claims that he has a message that is a word from the Lord himself (1 Thess. 4:15).

What is his word from the Lord? He says that believers will be caught up in the air to meet Christ when he comes back (1 Thess. 4:15-17). Paul may be indicating that believers will also return with him after meeting Christ in the air; the word "meet" is a significant word which carries the idea of going out to meet an important person and returning with him. Regardless, what is clear is that believers will be caught up in the air to meet Jesus.

#2 | Jesus will judge everyone.

Everyone will stand before the "judgment seat of God" and will be judged (Rom. 14:10). At some point when Jesus returns, perhaps when we're standing before the judgment seat of God, every knee will hit the ground in respect and every mouth will confess that he is God (Rom. 14:11). Every person will give an account to God (Rom. 14:12).

What this means is that both believers and unbelievers will stand before the judgment seat of God. Unbelievers will be judged by Christ (Matt. 12:36; 25:31-33; 2 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 20:11-15). Believers also will be judged by Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 2:6-11; 14:10-12; Rev. 12, 15). It is true that believers are only saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8; cf. John 3:16; Rom. 8:1), but we will be rewarded based on our good works (Eph. 2:10; 1 Cor. 3:15; 4:5; Col. 3:23-24). Though we can be motivated by God's rewards, we are only forgiven and justified on the basis of Jesus' finished work (Rom. 3:24, 28; 4:2; 5:1; 8:1, 30; 10:10; Gal. 2:16; 3:24).

#3 | Jesus will live forever with believers in a perfect world.

When he returns, Jesus will fully establish his kingdom (Matt. 6:10; Phil. 2:10; Rev. 21-22), the new heavens and new earth will be completed (Isa. 65:17; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21-22); in other words, sin, sadness, suffering, sickness, and Satan will be removed forever. Believers will receive perfect, glorified bodies (Luke 22:18; Rev. 19:9; 22:1-2). We will live forever with him in a perfect world!

There is hope for those who believe in Jesus, since death does not have the final say (1 Thess. 4). Therefore, we should set our minds on those things (Col. 3:1-2) and seek to lay up treasure there, rather than here on earth (Matt. 6:19-21). We should encourage each other with the news that Jesus is coming back, as Paul does; we should not use this news to scare one another (1 Thess. 4:18; Rev. 22). It is good news, not bad news.

Despite the many blessings and exciting things to come, Jesus himself is our treasure! He is the treasure for which we long; he is the treasure for which we look. Jesus is our ultimate source of satisfaction and unending joy (Ps. 16:11). So, I join John in saying: "Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20)!

Application

The news of the second coming of Jesus should bring us immense hope and encouragement, even in the midst of the hardships of life (1 Thess. 4:17-18; Rev. 21-22).

Where can I learn more?

Bibliography:

- ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.

For more information see these resources:

- Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994.