“This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬

The first appearance of Jesus was a mission of humility and sacrifice. “but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭26‬

The second will be a mission of triumph and transformation. “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭28‬ ‭

Scripture describes it as a groom returning for His bride. The Church is the bride of Christ. Oh what longing and expectation the bride ought to have for her Bridegroom. We ought to be eagerly awaiting our Lord to come and take us home! According to 1 Thessalonians 4, He will break through the clouds with a great shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Here is hope for the believer and encouragement for the pilgrim – we will forever be with the Lord.

But He will also come to judge the world. Jesus spoke several times of the final judgment, when He will come to judge the living and the dead and to separate His faithful children from those who refuse to follow Him.

He will also return to establish a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. How eagerly we await His new universe with its shimmering capital city, described in Revelation 21 and 22 as the New Jerusalem.