From the earliest days of the Church, the preaching of the Gospel included reference to the return of the Lord Jesus in glory. Jesus himself declares several times that he will return at an unspecified time in the future. It was clearly an essential element of the teaching and preaching of the apostles and is found throughout the New Testament. Very early in Church history this aspect of the Good News of the Gospel and message of salvation is found in the Nicene Creed – ‘He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his Kingdom will have no end’.

“He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”We are touching here upon something that is at the heart of the gospel message. An important question to ask ourselves is whether we clearly see the Second Coming as a key element of our faith and of the truth of salvation. Perhaps some ignorance is being exposed here. We rightly think of salvation as being something accomplished by Jesus at his first coming in the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection. Jesus, the Son of God, became man, identifying himself not only with our humanity, but also with our sin. He made his own life into a redeeming sacrifice by which all of mankind is reconciled to God. Using metaphorical imagery, Scripture speaks of this reconciliation between man and God as ‘the opening of the gate of heaven’ or ‘the tearing apart of the veil of the Temple’. The barrier between God and man, erected by sin, has been once and for all overcome.

But is this the whole story? Certainly, the accomplishment of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary is a central element in the story of salvation. The human race, created by God to live in a relationship with him and under obedience to his laws, had turned away and like the man on the road to Jericho in the parable of the Good Samaritan, had fallen in with thieves and had become bruised and wounded – in need of someone to pour oil upon the wounds and to bandage them.

The message of salvation includes not only the reconciliation of humankind with God, but also the re-creation of the human race, a re-creation in the image and likeness of Jesus himself. To this end the resurrected Lord breathes out his Spirit upon the disciples, who become the beginning of the new creation, and to whom Jesus gives the commission to preach the Gospel and gather others into the new creation by baptism.

The work of salvation is still continuing. The words of Jesus on the cross ‘it is accomplished’ indicate the removal of the barrier and the curse of sin and reveal the reconciliation with the Father achieved by the blood of the Cross. However, they do not speak of the fullness that is yet to be achieved. There is a fullness in two senses of the word. On the one hand, we still await the full number of those to be gathered into the kingdom of God. On the other hand, there is a progress still to be accomplished in which the power of sin is gradually put to death in me and in which I take on the likeness of Christ – being transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3: 18). St Paul declares that the gift of the Holy Spirit that we have received is a kind of down payment, a first fruit, the promise of a fullness that is to come. For this fullness of salvation, it is to the second coming of Jesus that we turn – in joyful hope!

Scripture is unequivocal on this – no-one knows the hour, not even the Son of Man HimselfScripture is unequivocal on this – no-one knows the hour, not even the Son of Man Himself. Only the Father knows. While Scripture may speak of his coming soon, there is no indication of what soon might mean. Indeed, as one of the psalms records ‘to the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day’. Nothing, therefore, would permit us to predict the day or date of his coming. At the same time, the Word of God clearly states that certain things must happen before the Lord’s return.

Perhaps the most significant, because little attention is given to it among Christians, is that St Paul highlights the restoration of Israel as the immediate preliminary to the Lord’s return. Paul realised that the Jews’ rejection of Jesus had opened up what he calls the time of the Gentiles, when the Gospel message will be preached almost entirely to Gentiles. Nevertheless, the time will come when the number of Gentiles will be complete. At that time, Israel will be restored. Paul says that if the cutting off of the Jews brought such blessings to the Gentiles, think what their restoration will mean. It will be nothing short of resurrection from the dead – Romans 9:15. Although the time for this will be of God’s choosing, it is surely something for which Christians, who await the Lord’s return, should be earnestly praying.

The number of Jews who are recognising Jesus Christ as the Messiah is today on a scale not seen since the days of PentecostScripture also speaks of the Lord coming only after the gospel has been preached to the whole world (Matt. 24:14). The time before his coming will also be characterised by a general disorder and lawlessness in society (Matt 24:6-8) and even division and a falling away within the Church (2 Tim 2:1-3). Jesus himself expressed concern about the state of the people at the time of his return – ‘But when the Son of Man comes will he find any faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:8).

All of these realities of which scripture speaks invite us to reflect on whether we see these signs occurring now. Certainly, there are signs of growing lawlessness; there are indications too of divisions in the Church and great falling away at least in Western society. The number of Jews who are recognising Jesus Christ as the Messiah is today on a scale not seen since the days of Pentecost. Nevertheless, who is to say if another century will bring even greater signs? The main thing, as Jesus said, is that Christians, when they hear of such things, ‘should stand erect and hold your heads high, for your deliverance is at hand’ (Luke 21:28).

Just as the Spirit and the Bride say ‘Come, Lord Jesus, come’,  we too join our prayer to theirs and pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, come’.