What the Bible Says About the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

When Jesus first came to earth as the Messiah, He left us with a promise before He went back to heaven—He would return one day.

“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection make the Second Coming possible (Galatians 1:4). He died for our sins the first time He came, and when He returns, He will gather together all believers and take them to heaven (John 11:25-26).

This will be a literal event that everyone in the world will see, hear, and experience at the same time. And every person has the power to choose whether they’ll accept Jesus as their Savior when He returns.

How do we know?

Because the Bible talks about the Second Coming in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Not only in the Book of Revelation. And all these passages of Scripture tell us what we can expect and how to prepare our hearts and minds so we can look forward to Jesus’ return.

And to help with your study of the Second Coming, we’ve compiled all the verses that describe this wonderful future event, as well as some additional details about their context.

Here’s what we’ll cover as we go through these passages:

• When the Second Coming will happen
• What it will be like for us to experience
• What will Jesus do
• Key takeaways

We’ll start by going over the verses that answer the most common question about the Second Coming—its timing.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all Bible verses are ESV. Emphases are applied to assist the topical study.

When will the Second Coming happen?

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Other than God, no one knows the date of the Second Coming. The Bible says not even the angels in heaven know the exact day or hour.

What we do know is that Jesus will return soon, meaning it could happen at any time. The Bible even mentions specific signs we’ll notice as it gets closer to the Second Coming of Jesus.

Overall, Scripture tells us to live in a state of readiness—because the Second Coming will catch the world by surprise. And we don’t know how long our lives will be. That’s why, in the big picture, Jesus is always coming “soon.”

Through the ages, people have tried to pinpoint the exact timing of Jesus’ return. But the Word of God tells us that like the servants in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12, we need to be ready at all times. We don’t know when our Master will return, and His timing is not for us to know. Our focus is to be on the present moment.

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).

 

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). (See also Mark 13:32-33.)

 

“Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42)

 

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

 

“Stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning” (Mark 13:35).

 

“Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).

These verses say that since we can’t predict Jesus’ return, the best thing we can do is always be watching and waiting as we go about our daily lives.
And that’s especially important since the Bible repeatedly says that Jesus is coming soon—and when we least expect it:

“The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast” (Zephaniah 1:14).

 

“The coming of the Lord is at hand. … behold, the Judge is standing at the door” (James 5:8-9).

 

“The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).

 

“The coming of the Lord is at hand. … behold, the Judge is standing at the door” (James 5:8-9).

 

“I am coming like a thief!” (Revelation 16:15).

 

“‘I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

We see Jesus “coming like a thief” referenced twice in these verses. And Matthew 24:43 sheds light on what that means:

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.”

That means if we knew a thief was coming, we’d take action to prepare our house (like Kevin in the movie Home Alone). But most of the time, thieves show up when they are least expected.

When Jesus appears, it will feel just as sudden to the world.

Jesus tells a parable that compares waiting for the Second Coming to servants waiting for their master to return:

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. … If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!” (Luke 12:35-36, 38, ESV).

The servants didn’t know exactly when their master would return. But they knew it could be any minute, so they stayed awake and on guard. Another parable shows that since we don’t know when Jesus will come, we need to prepare our minds for it now (Matthew 25:1-12).

Not knowing when Jesus will return can leave us feeling uncertain. But we have reassurance that it won’t be random. We can always trust in God’s perfect timing:

“Until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will display at the proper time” (1 Timothy 6:14-15).

Now that we’ve covered the verses on timing, let’s get more details about the event itself.

What will the Second Coming be like to experience?

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Right before Jesus’ return, Revelation 16 describes a series of plagues that will happen as part of God’s final response against sin, though followers of God will be protected from the plagues. This ends with the fall of “Babylon” (verse 19), or the system of religious corruption that perpetuated Satan’s influence in the world.

(You can read more about “Babylon” in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.)

All this is to say that, in many ways, the world will be at its darkest hour just before its brightest.

Then Jesus will appear, and everyone on Earth will see Him arrive in the clouds. He’ll remain in the sky and send His angels to gather all believers—both living and newly resurrected.

In Matthew 24:29-31, Jesus paints a word picture of what it’ll be like:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Right up until His arrival, false prophets and imposter messiahs will attempt to mislead people by saying that Jesus has already come back (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5). But the Bible gives specific details about how to recognize the true Second Coming:

It’ll be loud and vibrantly visible—impossible to miss.

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10).

 

“The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place” (Revelation 6:14).

Jesus and a host of angels will appear in the sky, not on the earth. (And it will be bright!)

“And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13).

 

“They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).

 

“Jesus said, “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). (See also Matthew 26:64.)

 

“The Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father” (Matthew 16:27).

 

“They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27).

 

“…with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8, NKJV).

 

“The Lord comes with ten thousands of His holy ones” (Jude 1:14).

Jesus will be clearly presented as the rightful King of all creation

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31).

 

“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand” (Revelation 14:14).

 

“On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16).

It will be the only event happening—the whole world will experience it simultaneously

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All other events of the world will cease at Jesus’ return, because the entire earth will be focused on His grand appearance in the sky.

“If they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:26-27).

 

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him” (Revelation 1:7).

We can set aside the secret rapture theory—the idea that Jesus will sneak His followers into heaven. Since every eye will see Jesus at His Second Coming, we don’t need to worry that we’ll miss it.

Even the dead who Jesus’ resurrects will see Him in the clouds. But more on that in a minute.
The point is, Jesus will remain in the sky where everyone can see Him. He’ll send His angels out to gather His followers. He won’t touch the earth during the Second Coming at all.

And that helps us differentiate the true Second Coming of Jesus from any rumors, deceptions, or staged events.

Now let’s explore more of what Jesus will do—and what will happen to us—when He returns.

What will Jesus do when He returns?

In short, after His initial appearance in the sky, Jesus will:

1. Announce His arrival
2. Resurrect believers who have died
3. Destroy the wicked with His presence
4. Draw us up to Him
5. Give us new, perfect bodies
6. Confine Satan
7. Take us to heaven for the Millennium

Here are the passages of Scripture that describe these things specifically:

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. …” (1 Thessalonians 4:16a).

 

“…And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16b).

 

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power…” (Revelation 20:6a).

 

“This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).

 

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).

 

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

 

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

 

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him…” (2 Thessalonians 2:1).

 

“When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

 

“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” (Hebrews 9:28).

 

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

 

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

And after Jesus gathers all His people in the air, He deals with Satan by locking him away, cutting off his ability to deceive or bring harm.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. …” (Revelation 20:2-3).

As for those who chose against Jesus, we’ll talk about that next.

What happens to those who reject Jesus?

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When sin corrupted our nature, we lost immortality and our connection with the kingdom of God. When Jesus died for us, He restored that connection. But since He created us with free will, it’s up to us whether we accept it.

According to the Bible, those who won’t accept Jesus will remain on earth and His presence will put them to death until after the Millennium. Those who were already dead and didn’t believe also will remain dead until after the Millennium.

“Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left” (Matthew 24:40-41). (See also Luke 17:34-36.)

 

“To grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).

 

“And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of Him who was sitting on the horse” (Revelation 19:21).

 

“The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. …” (Revelation 20:5).

We’ve seen a few references now to the Millennium, or the “thousand years” that believers will spend in heaven with Jesus. After that time, Jesus will resurrect those who chose Satan’s kingdom over His.

Revelation 20:7-15 says they’ll join forces with Satan (who has been released at this time) to attack the new Jerusalem. But in the end, they’ll die alongside Satan.

It can be hard to process that some will reject the chance to be part of God’s kingdom, and that their existence will be put to an ultimate end. But to those who chose against God and everything

He stands for, life in a perfect world would be torture. That’s why the Bible says that many will try to flee when Jesus returns—unable to withstand the perfect presence of the Son of God:

“People shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to terrify the earth” (Isaiah 2:19).

 

“Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory” (Luke 9:26). (See also Mark 8:38.)

 

“The kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15-17).

It’s up to us if we want to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and choose Him as King. But not everyone will. So the Bible tells us that Jesus will separate His followers from the rest:

“Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32).

 

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1).

 

“I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Revelation 22:12).

By not joining Jesus, they default to the rule of Satan—the “lawless one” who Jesus destroys in the end (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

This can be a lot to take in. It’s not every day that we ponder how the world is going to end, or what our eternal fate might be.

But we can take a deep breath. Because the Bible holds good news for those who accept Jesus.

What happens to everyone who stands with Jesus?

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The Bible paints a picture of joy and celebration for those who look forward to the return of Christ (Titus 2:13).

And there’s a lot to look forward to. We already learned that if we love Jesus, we’ll join Him in the sky, get new, perfect bodies, and eternal life free from sin.

No wonder the Bible says:

“It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).

“Rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13).

When Jesus returns, His people—both living and resurrected—will be drawn to the presence of their Protector instead of running away in fear.

“Abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming” (1 John 2:28).

In John 10:27, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

When we make it our goal to love and serve Christ, to uphold His ways and reflect His character, He helps calm our fears (1 John 4:13-18).

And when He appears to us, He’ll change us in the blink of an eye—eradicating any residual effects of sin, including fear.

Because Scripture gets specific about how He’ll change us:

“We know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

God created us in His own image (Genesis 1:27). But sin marred the image of every human. If we choose God’s kingdom, Jesus will restore us to His perfect image at the Second Coming (2 Corinthians 3:18).

And when we stand before Jesus in our new and perfect form, He’ll give us beautiful crowns:

“There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).

 

“When the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4).

But crowns are only a small part of what God has waiting for His children in heaven:

“To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).

And best of all:

“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8).

 

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Jesus promises that we’ll get to leave behind sadness, trading it for eternal joy with Him. So we can see the Second Coming as a fulfillment of all our hopes—not something to fear.

Key takeaways about the Second Coming of Jesus

Now that we’ve covered the key Bible verses about Jesus’ return, let’s do a quick recap.

Jesus promised to return a second time to save anyone who wants Him as their Savior. We know:

• It’s a literal event we’ll see, hear, experience, and react to.
• Jesus will be visible to all.
• He’ll raise His followers from the dead.
• He’ll call His people to join Him in the clouds.
• Those who don’t choose Jesus will perish.
• He’ll restrain Satan, and later destroy him.
• Jesus’s people will gain perfected bodies, immortality, and an inheritance with Jesus in heaven and later on the new earth.

Even though we don’t know exactly when Jesus will return, we know it could happen any time. And we know He’ll come like a thief in the night—meaning when we least expect it.

We also learned that not everyone will be happy about the Second Coming—or be ready for it.

The Bible says that right up until Jesus arrives, people will be busy with the usual distractions in life (Matthew 24:37-39).

That’s why it’s important to put Jesus first and live like He’s coming any minute. Then we’ll long for His kingdom more than we do for this one. We’ll be ready to let go of everything here in a heartbeat and stand before Jesus when He returns.

If we want Jesus in our lives, no one can take that away without our consent (John 10:28-29). But as we learned from the Bible, it’s important to be on guard until Jesus returns for us.

Revelation 3:11 emphasizes:

“I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”

As Christians, we hold tight to the promise of Jesus’ Second Coming. But we also need to guard against the influences of Satan (1 Peter 5:8), and we can trust that his true colors will eventually be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Here’s more good news: We’re not on our own. Jesus says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

We are promised to receive an inheritance beyond what we ask or could even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). And we can find encouragement in what the apostle Paul wrote:

“No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Wondering how to prepare for the coming of Jesus?

Or if you want to dig deeper, you can

Here are all the passages of Scripture that describe the event of the Second Coming:

• 1 John 2:28
• 1 John 3:2
• 1 John 4:13-18
• Jude 1:14
• Revelation 1:7
• Revelation 3:11
• Revelation 6:14-17
• Revelation 14:14
• Revelation 16:15
• Revelation 19:16, 21
• Revelation 20:2-3, 5-15
• Revelation 21:4
• Revelation 22:12
• Revelation 22:20
• Mark 14:62
• Luke 9:26
• Luke 12:35-36, 38, 40
• Luke 17:34-36
• Luke 21:27
• John 6:40
• John 10:28-29
• John 11:25-26
• John 12:32
• John 14:2-3
• Acts 1:11

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