When will the Second Coming of Christ happen?

First Coming of Christ

The First Coming of Christ is sometimes also referred to as the First Advent. Christ’s first arrival here on earth was when Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:20
But while he [Joseph] thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, being fully God and fully Man, was present here on this earth for thirty-three years.

Second Coming

Therefore, the Second Coming—or the Second Advent—will happen when the Lord Jesus returns and will actually be present here on this earth for the second time. This will happen at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period—a time appointed by God to begin after the Rapture.

Rapture

Many confuse the Second Coming with the soon coming Rapture. This is just not so! The Rapture, defined, is not an advent; rather it is an event. Jesus Christ will rapidly transport—a violent but pleasing event—snatch away—take up into the air—all believers of His universal Church. In this “taking up” the Lord Jesus does not come back to this earth. Instead, He gathers all the believers of the Church Age (Pentecost to time of Rapture) in the air.

God’s Word / Rapture

Since the Rapture will occur first, in order to maintain chronological order, let’s see how God’s Word explains:

Meet the Lord in the Air

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18  
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise [be resurrected in the air] first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord [not in the seven-year Tribulation which will follow (Revelation 4:1; 5:9-11; chapters 6-22)]. Therefore comfort one another with these words. …

As a Thief in the Night

1 Thessalonians 5:1-5  
But concerning the times and the seasons, you have no need that I should write to you [Matthew 24:36; 25:13]. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night [in this case, for the Rapture…and seven years later for the Second Coming]. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” [just as those in Noah’s time (Matthew 24:37-39)] then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman [Revelation 12:1-6 speaks of Israel being born again—after the Rapture in Revelation 4:1 and coinciding with Revelation 7]. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

Delivered from Wrath

Romans 5:9  
Much more then [since Christ died for us while we were still sinners (v. 8)], having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath [the seven-year Tribulation] through Him.

1 Thessalonians 1:10  
wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Second Coming of Christ

The Second Coming will happen when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth to defeat the Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon which ends the seven-year Tribulation:

Revelation 16:14-16  
For they [unclean spirits coming out of the mouths of the Antichrist and false prophet (v.13)] are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. “Behold, I [Jesus] am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

Revelation 19:19 
And I [John the apostle] saw the beast [Antichrist man], the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Almighty God Lord Jesus] who sat on the horse and against His army [His Church who shall be always with the Lord upon being raptured (1 Thessalonians 4:18)].

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Second Coming of Christ will happen after the seven-year Tribulation period.

---

Comments and Questions Welcome

Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
We welcome any questions you might have as we like to hear from you.
Also, if you like this blog, please share it with your friends.

Thank you for reading and God bless you!

---

How to Receive Eternal Life Posts

Would you like to find out why believers have hope of Eternal Life and how to develop a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ? If your answer is “yes,” then check out these blog posts:

Eternal Life as easy as A-B-C-D

Why do I need the God of the Bible?

What is the Book of Life?

---

Blog Posts Related to this Topic:

Prophecy Definition – Verb or Noun (Part 2)

Rapture and the seven-year Tribulation Part 2

What is the Definition of Rapture?

Who is the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet (Part 1)

Blog Post by Dr. David Jeremiah:
What the Bible says about Christ’s Second Coming

Article by Vivian Bricker, Contributing Writer to Christianity.com
What Do We Know about the Second Coming of Christ?

---

For a deeper study into Jesus’ next coming and the signs of the time check out our 3-in-1 Study Guide:
“Digging Deep into the Revelation of Jesus Christ”.
It’s a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone striving to understand the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

This study guide for the Book of Revelation is revolutionary and unique.
On each page it contains:
-the original scripture,
-the commentary on that scripture,
-the actual Bible verses referenced in the commentary, and
-the commentary on these references in 4 columns side by side.
Through the format and contents, the reader is able to find comprehensive information in a few minutes versus spending an hour looking up cross-references to find meaning in challenging text.
For someone studying Revelation, this one reference saves time and enhances understanding without making the mistake of translating scripture. This enables the reader to make his/her own conclusions about the meaning in the Word as inspired by God.

---

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, unless stated otherwise. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.