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Acts 1:6–11
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (v. 11).
Whether one accepts a postmillennial, amillennial, or premillennial interpretation of Revelation 20:1–6, all Christians believe that Jesus is returning visibly at the end of history to consummate His kingdom. The belief that Jesus “shall come to judge the quick and the dead,” in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, is a matter of essential Christian orthodoxy confessed by believers from every theological tradition. To deny the visible return of Christ is to deny the Christian faith.
Perhaps the clearest passage of Scripture on the visible return of Christ is Acts 1:6–11. Looking to this passage today, we see that forty days after our Lord’s resurrection from the dead, the Apostles saw Jesus, body and soul, lifted up and taken out of sight by a cloud. On that occasion, two angels appeared to the Apostles with a promise of Christ’s return. Verse 11 gives key details about our Savior’s eventual return. It will be a personal return, for the same person who ascended will be coming back. It will be a visible return, for just as the Apostles witnessed the movement of our Lord from the earth up into the heavens with their own eyes, so will the world see Him descend again from on high. It will be a glorious return, for as the manner of His ascent included signs such as the appearance of angels, so His return must be attended by similar supernatural phenomena.
As we think about the visible return of Jesus, we need to be careful to distinguish it from our Lord’s coming in judgment on the city of Jerusalem for rejecting Him as the Messiah. This coming to judge Jerusalem is described in several passages in Scripture, most notably the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21:5–36). We do not have space here to develop this idea completely, but those texts most likely have in view the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in AD 70, and our Savior’s use of the imagery of His “coming on the clouds” in the discourse most likely echoes figurative expressions of divine judgment in the Old Testament such as we find in Isaiah 18.
The fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 was a key event in the history of salvation. It marked a decisive end to the old covenant era and confirmed the Lord’s handing over of the kingdom of heaven to the true Israel of God, the church made up of all Jews and gentiles who profess faith in Jesus Christ (Matt. 21:33–46; Rom. 11). Nevertheless, Jesus has not yet completely fulfilled God’s promises. He is coming back one day, and we must be ready for Him.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The sure promise of the Lord’s return helps sustain our faith. Although much is wrong with the world today, we know that Jesus has not forgotten His people but is coming back to set all things right. He has not broken any of His other promises, and He can by no means fail to keep the promise of His return either.
For further study
- Zephaniah 1:7
- Luke 12:35–40
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12
- Hebrews 9:28
The bible in a year
- Jeremiah 12–13
- 1 Timothy 4