Bible Study: Is Jesus Really Coming Back?
- Boundless Team
- 1 day ago
- 10 min read
Jesus really is coming back. The New Testament presents His return as a sure promise, not a symbol or spiritual metaphor. Jesus will gather His people, raise those who have died in Him, and bring history to its rightful fulfillment. The exact timing is unknown, but the promise is certain, so believers can live with hope, holiness, courage, and purpose.
This Bible study explores what Scripture says about Jesus’ return, how the Assemblies of God understands the promise, and why biblical hope should move us toward comfort, faithful living, resurrection confidence, and mission: not fear or speculation.
The Promise Is Certain Because Jesus Is Faithful
Christian hope is not wishful thinking. It is confidence rooted in the character and promise of God.
Jesus promised His disciples that He would come again. After His resurrection, He ascended into heaven while His followers watched. Acts 1:11 records the angels’ message:
“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
That phrase: “this same Jesus”: matters deeply.
The One who returns is not an impersonal force, a vague spiritual energy, or an invention of religious imagination. He is the same Jesus who welcomed the overlooked, touched the unclean, forgave sinners, healed the suffering, confronted hypocrisy, wept with grieving friends, died on the cross, and rose from the grave.
The returning Christ is the crucified and risen Savior.
His return is not detached from the Gospel. It is the next great movement in the story of redemption that began with creation, was promised throughout Scripture, was accomplished through Jesus’ death and resurrection, and will be brought to completion when He comes again.
For someone carrying grief, this promise means death does not have the final word.
For someone exhausted by injustice, it means Jesus will bring righteous judgment.
For someone anxious about the future, it means history is not abandoned to chaos.
For someone who feels forgotten, it means the King is coming for His people.
What Does 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 Teach?
Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to believers who were grieving Christians who had died. They had questions about what would happen to those who had “fallen asleep” before Jesus returned.
Paul did not answer them with panic. He answered them with hope.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Then Paul continues:
“After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
The passage teaches several important truths.
Jesus Himself Will Come
Paul does not say that an idea will return or that a religious movement will continue. He says, “the Lord himself will come down from heaven.”
The return of Jesus is personal. The Savior who knows His people will personally gather them to Himself.
The Dead in Christ Will Rise
Christian hope includes the resurrection of the body. Those who have died trusting in Christ are not lost, erased, or forgotten. Their future is held securely in God’s hands.
The phrase “the dead in Christ” points to believers whose lives and faith are united to Jesus. Their physical death does not cancel their relationship with Him. Because Christ was raised from the dead, those who belong to Him will also share in resurrection life.
This is why Christian grief is honest but not hopeless. We may weep because separation hurts. We may feel the ache of an empty chair, a missing voice, or a future that changed suddenly. But we do not grieve as people who have no hope. Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Believers Will Be With the Lord Forever
The final comfort of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is not merely that believers will escape trouble. The deepest promise is this: “We will be with the Lord forever.”
Christian eternity is not mainly about gaining a better environment. It is about being with Jesus.
The presence of Christ is the heart of heaven, the comfort of resurrection, and the fulfillment of every longing for home, peace, justice, and love.
Paul ends this teaching by saying, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). The return of Jesus was given to strengthen grieving believers, not to frighten them into obsession.
If you would like to continue exploring this hope, read Boundless’ study on What Is the Blessed Hope?
Why Matthew 24:36 Rejects Date-Setting
Many people become anxious when they hear someone announce a date for the return of Jesus. Others feel pressured to interpret every headline, disaster, political event, or cultural change as proof that the end must be happening immediately.
Jesus gives us a better way to live.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).
Jesus did not give His followers a calendar to decode. He gave them a promise to trust and a life to live faithfully.
Matthew 24 is part of Jesus’ teaching about His coming and the need for spiritual alertness. The point is not that believers should become experts in prediction. The point is that the timing belongs to God.
This protects us from several harmful patterns:
Date-setting, which contradicts Jesus’ warning.
Fear-driven speculation, which turns hope into dread.
Headline obsession, which can make current events more important than Christ Himself.
Spiritual pride, which assumes we know what Jesus said no one knows.
Disappointment and disillusionment, which often follow failed predictions.
Faithful readiness is different from anxious prediction.
A ready believer does not need to know the day or hour in order to worship, forgive, serve, share the Gospel, care for others, and remain close to Jesus.
We should pay attention to Scripture, but we should not pretend to possess knowledge God has reserved for Himself. Humility is part of readiness.
What Does Titus 2:13 Mean by “The Blessed Hope”?
Titus 2:13 says that Christians are to live “while we wait for the blessed hope: the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Notice the connection between expectation and daily conduct. In the surrounding verses, Paul teaches that God’s grace trains believers to reject ungodliness and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.
The hope of Jesus’ appearing is not meant to pull us away from ordinary faithfulness. It teaches us how to live in ordinary faithfulness.
The blessed hope gives us courage to:
Tell the truth when dishonesty seems easier.
Practice purity when temptation is persistent.
Forgive when resentment feels justified.
Serve when no one applauds.
Pray when answers seem delayed.
Welcome the lonely.
Care for the vulnerable.
Share the Gospel with humility.
Keep trusting God when the world feels unstable.
Biblical hope is active. It does not make us passive observers of history. It makes us faithful servants within history.
We wait for Jesus by loving people in Jesus’ name.
We wait by remaining rooted in Scripture.
We wait by gathering with believers for worship and discipleship.
We wait by refusing to let fear define our witness.
We wait by remembering that the grace of God is already at work in us while we look forward to the appearing of Christ.
How Does the Assemblies of God Understand Jesus’ Return?
The Assemblies of God identifies the return of Christ as a central biblical doctrine. Its Statement of Fundamental Truths describes “The Blessed Hope” as the resurrection of believers who have died and the translation of living believers to meet the Lord.
The AG also explains its understanding in official position papers on the Rapture of the Church and Premillennial Eschatology.
In broad terms, AG teaching understands the second coming of Christ as including:
The catching away of the Church, commonly called the rapture, when believers who have died are raised and living believers are caught up to meet Christ.
The visible return of Jesus to earth, understood as literal, physical, and glorious.
The millennial reign of Christ, understood within a premillennial framework.
This is an important part of AG doctrine, but it should never be used as a reason to mock Christians who understand some prophetic details differently. Faithful Christians have discussed the sequence and interpretation of certain passages throughout church history.
What should remain unmistakable is the central confession: Jesus Christ will return, the dead will be raised, evil will not have the final word, and God will complete His redemptive purposes.
End-times teaching should produce worship, humility, holy living, mission, and comfort. It should not produce arrogance, panic, date-setting, or endless arguments.
For a related Boundless study, read Bible Study: Truth 13: The Blessed Hope.
Readiness Means Faithfulness, Not Fear
Jesus repeatedly called His followers to watchfulness. But biblical watchfulness is not the same as staring at the sky in terror.
Watchfulness means living awake to God.
It means asking:
Am I trusting Jesus, or only trusting circumstances?
Am I walking in repentance and grace?
Am I treating people with the love of Christ?
Am I using my time to serve God and others?
Am I ready to forgive?
Am I sharing the hope of the Gospel?
Am I becoming more like Jesus?
A person can study prophecy constantly and still neglect love, truth, mercy, prayer, and obedience. Scripture calls us to something deeper than information. It calls us to transformation.
The return of Christ reminds us that our choices matter, our faithfulness matters, and our lives belong to God. Yet our readiness is not based on achieving sinless perfection. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We remain ready by continuing to trust Him, follow Him, and depend on the Holy Spirit.
Holy living is not an attempt to earn Christ’s love. It is a response to the love already given to us through the cross and resurrection.
The Return of Jesus Gives the Church a Mission
When the disciples heard that Jesus would return, they were not told to withdraw from the world and do nothing. They were commissioned to bear witness.
The message of Jesus’ return should make the Church more compassionate and more courageous.
People around us are carrying grief, fear, spiritual confusion, loneliness, injustice, and unanswered questions. Some are searching quietly for evidence that God has not abandoned them. Others are angry with the Church but still curious about Jesus. Some are working through the night, caring for family members, recovering from illness, traveling, or unable to attend a church gathering in person.
The promise of Jesus’ return gives us a message worth sharing:
Christ has not forgotten His people.
The risen Savior is still Lord.
The future belongs to God.
There is forgiveness through Jesus.
There is resurrection hope for those who belong to Christ.
There is meaningful work to do while we wait.
Online Christian community can be one way to help people take a next step toward Scripture, prayer, worship, and connection. Boundless Online Church is designed as a bridge for people who feel disconnected, overwhelmed, homebound, spiritually curious, or unable to participate in church in traditional ways. You can explore how Boundless works, or connect with others through the Bible Study Club.
Online connection does not replace the value of a healthy local church. But it can help someone move from isolation toward community and from questions toward a deeper encounter with Jesus.
What Should You Do While Waiting for Jesus?
You do not need to predict the future to live faithfully today. Consider these simple practices.
Stay Close to Scripture
Read passages about Christ’s return in context. Begin with 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Matthew 24:36–44, Acts 1:9–11, Titus 2:11–14, 1 Corinthians 15:50–58, and Revelation 21:1–5.
Ask not only, “What does this tell me about the future?” Also ask, “What does this reveal about Jesus, and how should I respond today?”
Let Hope Shape Your Grief
If you are grieving someone who trusted Christ, bring your sorrow honestly to God. Resurrection hope does not require you to pretend that loss is painless.
Paul gave the promise of Christ’s return to grieving people. Let it comfort you slowly and honestly.
Refuse Date-Setting
Do not build your faith around predictions that Jesus Himself told us not to make. When someone claims certainty about the day or hour, return to Matthew 24:36 with humility.
Practice Holy Love
Let the hope of Christ’s return make you more patient, truthful, generous, prayerful, and courageous. The world needs Christians whose hope produces love.
Keep the Mission in View
Ask God to show you one person you can encourage, forgive, serve, invite, or pray for. Jesus is coming, and the Gospel is still good news for every nation, language, family, and generation.
A Prayer for Hopeful Readiness
Lord Jesus, thank You for the promise that You are coming again. When the world feels frightening or uncertain, anchor our hearts in Your faithfulness. Comfort those who are grieving, strengthen those who are weary, and draw those who are searching closer to You.
Teach us to wait without fear, live without compromise, serve without growing discouraged, and speak about Your grace with humility. Help us keep our eyes on You rather than on speculation. Make us faithful in prayer, rich in mercy, steady in Scripture, and courageous in mission.
Until You come, help us remember that we are seen, loved, and never forgotten. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jesus really coming back according to the Bible?
Yes. The New Testament teaches that Jesus will personally, visibly, and truly return. Acts 1:11 says that “this same Jesus” will come back, while 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 describes His coming, the resurrection of believers who have died, and the gathering of living believers to be with Him.
What does 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 mean?
This passage teaches that the Lord will descend from heaven, believers who have died will be raised, and living believers will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord. Paul wrote these words to comfort Christians who were grieving, emphasizing that believers will be with Jesus forever.
What is the blessed hope in Christianity?
The blessed hope is the confident expectation of Jesus Christ’s return and the gathering of His people. In Assemblies of God teaching, it especially refers to the resurrection and catching away of believers to meet Christ. Titus 2:13 connects this hope with the glorious appearing of Jesus.
Does Matthew 24:36 mean Christians should not study end-times passages?
No. Christians should study Scripture carefully and faithfully. However, Matthew 24:36 means believers must not claim to know the day or hour of Christ’s return. Biblical study should lead to trust, readiness, holy living, comfort, and mission: not date-setting or fear-driven speculation.
What does the Assemblies of God believe about the rapture?
The Assemblies of God teaches that the rapture is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church: believers who have died will be resurrected, and living believers will be caught up to meet Christ. AG teaching also affirms a visible return of Jesus and a premillennial reign of Christ.
How should Christians live while waiting for Jesus to return?
Christians should remain close to Jesus through Scripture, prayer, worship, repentance, fellowship, holy living, compassion, and Gospel mission. Waiting for Christ is not passive. It means faithfully loving God and people while trusting that Jesus will complete His redemptive work.
Can I have hope about Jesus’ return if I am afraid?
Yes. Fear does not disqualify you from Christian hope. Bring your fear honestly to Jesus and return to His promises. The return of Christ was given to comfort believers, not crush them. If prayer feels difficult, you may also read When You Have No Words to Pray.
If you're struggling right now, you're not alone. Text us at 901-213-7341. Someone is here to pray with you. When you are ready, visit www.boundlessonlinechurch.org/blog to keep growing in Scripture and hope.
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