Christ Is Coming Back—The Bible’s Stunning Promise You Need to Know

In the book of Revelation, Jesus went so far as to wrap up the entirety of the Bible by reinstating His promise to return not just once, nor twice even, but three times. “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Rev- elation 22:12; see also verses 7, 20).

Because John, the author of Revelation, had learned the Scriptures as a disciple sitting at the feet of the Son of God, he would have recognized Christ’s promise to return in the most ancient of the second coming prophecies, one given in a vision attributed to Enoch, a few generations removed from Adam.* The Lord’s half brother, Jude, preserved the prophecy of Enoch when he stated:

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 14-15).

While recording the book of Revelation, John was propelled into the future to witness the fulfillment of this ancient messianic prophecy. God allowed John to foresee the triumphal return of Jesus Christ, accompanied by His purified saints, to pour out God’s wrath by executing judgment on a wicked world before establishing His kingdom.

The Golden Thread

Enoch’s prophecy foretelling the Lord’s majestic return isn’t the only kingdom prophecy God revealed in Old Testament times. It’s merely one out of an incredible 129 verses scattered throughout these venerable scriptures.

Messianic pronouncements concerning the Lord’s glorious return to establish His kingdom on this earth form what commentator Henry Halley called the “Golden Thread”—a theme that extends throughout and binds together the many diverse books of the Old Testament into one amazing unity.

The Lord wants us to notice the Messiah’s presence threaded throughout the entirety of the Old Testament, for it prevails as an essential element contributing to the larger unity and controlling concept of Gentiles also joining in becoming “fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6).

The New Testament

As if Old Testament revelation wasn’t enough, Christ’s promised return can also be found in the Gospels and the book of Acts. These five books dedicate 75 verses entirely to Christ’s coming kingdom. The quintessential teaching on this subject can be found in the Gospel of John chapters 13–17, known as Christ’s Farewell Discourse, and particularly in John 14:1-14.

In the Farewell Discourse, a solemn Jesus stressed that even though He and His followers would soon be separated for some time, the separation would serve various purposes until that inevitable reunification. One purpose for the duration of the delay was meant to provide Jesus with the time necessary to build a home for His redeemed children in preparation for that day when we can all finally dwell in the presence of our heavenly Father.

One can also find Christ’s promise to return to set up His kingdom in a prodigious 76 verses of the Pauline epistles and 25 verses of the general epistles. The writer of Hebrews, for example, noted that Christ’s reign had not yet been fulfilled by His first coming because there remains a cosmic struggle for domination over the earth. We’re told that “now we do not yet see all things put under him,” which shows us that Christ must still return to receive what is His—complete dominion over the world, as promised (Hebrews 2:5-8).

Then there’s the book of Revelation. In letter after letter, Jesus exhorted the churches to “hold fast” to what they have till He comes, bearing eternal rewards. With Revelation adding 24 verses to the 129 from the Old Testament, the 75 from the Gospels and Acts, the 76 from the Pauline epistles, and 25 from the general epistles, a grand total of 329 verses can be found across the breadth of the entire Bible reiterating Christ’s promise that He will indeed return.

God wants us, as readers of Scripture, to fully understand that when He makes a promise, it will indeed happen. “What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” (Isaiah 46:11 NIV).

God’s promises are ironclad. The Lord wishes to leave no doubt in our minds that Jesus Christ is indeed coming back to this earth to personally rule and reign over it. The golden thread proves this promise is trustworthy. Our Lord beckons us with open arms to take this truth to heart, allowing it to guide our lives in the here and now. Truly, without a doubt, the Bible is God’s love letter to you and me.

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Sources

David R. Reagan, Christ in Prophecy (McKinney, TX: Lamb & Lion Ministries, 2006), 94.

Tim LaHaye, Ed Hindson, Thomas Ice, and James Combs, eds., Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2001), 1576-1599.

Henry H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook, 24th ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1965), 387.