Dating the Second Coming of Jesus

Christians refer to the "Second Coming" as the time when Jesus would return (also called the parousia, a Greek word meaning "presence"). It would be the day of judgment, the resurrection of the dead, and the arrival of the new heavens and a new earth.

Most Christians believe that the Second Coming-the return of Jesus, the day of judgment, the resurrection of the dead, and the arrival of the new heavens and a new earth-will be literal, visible events: Jesus will physically descend in the clouds, and the dead will physically rise.

An increasing number of Christians are taking a closer look at the Bible. They now believe that the passages about the coming of Jesus in the clouds, the resurrection of the dead, and the arrival of the new heavens and a new earth are not referring to literal, physical events; instead, these Christians believe that those passages are using symbolic language to describe the spiritual fulfillment of God's plan: redemption for the faithful and punishment for the ungodly.

In this book, we'll try to determine which viewpoint the Bible more likely supports: whether the events of the Second Coming would be literal and visible, or whether those events would be figurative and symbolic.