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Answer
The second coming of Christ is a fundamental belief in Christian theology, and we eagerly anticipate our “blessed hope” «looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; », (Titus 2:13). However, the understanding that the Messiah would have two comings was gradually revealed to humanity, as God’s revelation unfolded progressively.
The Old Testament clearly indicates the coming of the Messiah, but it does not explicitly state His two-fold coming. The information revealed by God about the Messiah began with basic concepts and was gradually expanded. People in later generations had more knowledge than those who came before them. Abraham had more insight into God’s purposes than Noah, David more than Abraham, the prophets more than David, and ultimately, the apostles in the New Testament had greater understanding than the prophets. The apostles, especially after the resurrection, had a deeper comprehension than before.
The revelation about the Messiah evolved over time. Genesis 3:15 contains the initial cryptic promise of a Messiah. The seed of the woman will crush the seed of the serpent, but the identity of the seed of the woman and the method of accomplishing this victory are not fully disclosed. Subsequently, David receives a promise of an eternal kingdom, indicating that one of his descendants will have an everlasting reign. Yet, the specific identity of this descendant and the means by which this will occur remain undisclosed. Sometimes, the prophets describe this reign as if God Himself will rule (Zechariah 14), while at other times, they anticipate a descendant of David (Psalm 2). The prophets, however, do not provide a clear explanation of how these prophecies will be fulfilled. Jesus addressed this ambiguity when questioning the Jewish leaders in Matthew 22:41–45:
As the Pharisees gathered, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
“The Son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls Him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ If then David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be His son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask Him any more questions.
In Zechariah, we have a hint of the two comings of the Messiah. Zechariah 9 predicts a king coming in humility and peace, which seems to contradict Zechariah 14, which speaks of a conquering king. Micah 5 says that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, while Daniel 7 presents Him as a divine figure. Isaiah 9 teaches that He will reign forever, and Daniel 9 teaches that He will be cut off. Furthermore, Isaiah introduces another image, that of the Suffering Servant who will bear sins for people (Isaiah 53). Verse 9 speaks of the Servant’s death, and verse 12 says that, after that, the Servant will be victorious and receive the spoils due to Him. In other words, He will be killed and yet will live. How could this be?
In short, there were many things in the Old Testament about the coming of the Messiah that were not fully explained, and sometimes seemingly contradictory things were presented in the same book or even the same chapter. Some of the Jewish rabbis even suggested that there would be two Messiahs, a humble, suffering one and a conquering, reigning one; but no one was suggesting that the same Messiah would come twice, once to suffer and once to reign.
By the time of Jesus, the dominant expectation was for a Messiah who would rescue Israel from foreign domination. He would conquer and rule. At every turn, Jesus defied these expectations. He claimed that His kingdom was not of this world «Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. », (John 18:36). He informed His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to die, which led Peter to rebuke Him (Matthew 16:21-23). He assured them that He would be resurrected, but Mark 9:10 mentions that “they kept the matter to themselves, pondering what ‘rising from the dead’ meant.” Shortly after, when He reiterated His impending death and resurrection, “they did not comprehend what he meant and were hesitant to inquire about it” (verse 32).
Upon Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem for the final time, He was greeted with cries of “Hosanna” and the waving of palm branches. Palm branches symbolized Israel, and this was a highly patriotic demonstration. However, instead of marching into Jerusalem to overthrow the Romans, Jesus proceeded to the temple and expelled the money changers (Matthew 21:12-17). He also indicated that Israel (at least the present generation) would not inherit the kingdom (Matthew 21:33-43). He further advised people to pay their taxes to Caesar if they are due (Matthew 22:15-22). Lastly, He predicted the complete destruction of the temple (Matthew 24). These actions and words do not align with those of a Messiah sent to liberate Israel from Roman rule. His concerns were elsewhere.
It was only after the resurrection that the disciples began to grasp the significance of Jesus’ teachings «When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. », (John 2:22). Even following the resurrection, they still did not understand.
People were curious about the second coming because they asked Him if it was time for Him to restore the kingdom to Israel. “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Jesus advised them not to worry about the timing of the coming kingdom but to spread the gospel worldwide. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). He ascended into heaven, and two angels appeared, saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? 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” which also said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11). This is a clear indication that there will be a second coming after an undisclosed time period.
The Old Testament had various mysteries about the Messiah: would He be a divine figure or a human descendant of David? The New Testament answers both, due to the Incarnation. Would the Messiah be cut off or reign forever? The New Testament answers both, due to the Resurrection. Would the Messiah come to suffer or to reign? The New Testament once again answers both, as He would come twice.
The concept that the Messiah would come once to suffer and again to reign is not explicitly taught in the Old Testament.
Testament, even though the doctrine is entirely in line with the teachings of the Old Testament. Moreover, the return of Christ clarifies certain seemingly conflicting teachings regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament.
