48. The Second Coming of Christ
Part II: The Last Things of the World
We shall now study the last events of the world, that is, what will happen at the end of time. This includes a series of closely related events: the second coming of Christ at the end of time, the final judgment, and the resurrection of the dead. They are usually called last things of the world, or final eschatology.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
27. Christ Will Come Again
The second coming of Christ at the end of time is a truth of faith repeatedly found in Sacred Scripture: “For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high.… And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled” (Is 2:12–17). “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Dn 7:13). “Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mt 24:30; cf. Mk 13:26; Lk 21:5–36). “Hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 26:64; cf. Ps 110; Mt 16:27). “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thes 4:16). Many other passages of Sacred Scripture attest to this truth (cf. Am 5:18; Zec 9:9; Acts 1:11, 3:20; Jn 21:22; Ti 2:13; 2 Thes 2:8; 1 Tm 6:14).
This truth is repeatedly found in Tradition as well, and has been constantly proclaimed by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, and by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.1 The Creed of the People of God affirms that Christ “ascended into heaven, whence he will come again to judge the living and the dead, each according to his merits. And of his kingdom there will be no end.”2
28. Christ Coming as Judge
The usual formula of the symbols of faith links the Ascension of Christ to heaven with his sitting at the “right hand of God the Father Almighty,” from where he will come to judge the living and the dead, and establish a kingdom without end: the Kingdom of God (cf. Lk 24:51; Mk 16:19; Acts 1:9; 2:33).3
The Sacred Scripture informs us that there are two comings of the Son of God: the one when he assumed human flesh for our salvation in the womb of a virgin; the other when he shall come at the end of the world to judge all mankind. This latter coming is called in Scripture the day of the Lord (2 Pt 3:10). “The day of the Lord,” says the Apostle, “shall come as a thief in the night” (1 Thes 5:2); and our Lord Himself says: “Of that day and hour no one knoweth” (Mt 24:36; Mk 13:31).
In proof of the [final] judgment it is enough to adduce the authority of the Apostle: “We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or evil” (2 Cor 5:10). There are numerous passages of Sacred Scripture [cf. 1 Kgs 2:10; Ps 95:13; 97:9; Is 2:12; Jer 46:10; Dn 7:26; Jl 2:1, 81; Zep 1:7, 14; Mal 4:1; Mt 13:40; Lk 17:24; Acts 1:11; 3:20; Rom 2:16; 1 Cor 15:51; 1 Thes 1:10; 2 Thes 1:10; Rv 20:11] which the pastor will find in various places and which not only establish the truth of the dogma, but also place it in vivid colors before the eyes of the faithful. And if, from the beginning of the world, that day of the Lord, on which he was clothed with our flesh, was sighed for by all as the foundation of their hope of deliverance; so also, after the death and ascension of the Son of God, we should make that other day of the Lord the object of our most earnest desires, “looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God” (Ti 2:13).4
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the resurrection of all the dead—the just and the sinners (cf. Acts 24:15)—will precede the final judgment.5 This will be the time when “all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment” (Jn 5:28–29). Then, Christ will come “in his glory, and all the angels with him.… Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.… And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt 25:31, 32, 46).
29. The Parousia
The second coming of the Lord is also known as parousia, a Greek word meaning “apparition” or “presence.” At the parousia, Christ will appear in power and majesty as judge (cf. Dn 7:13; Mt 16:27; 24:30; 26:64), and establish his Kingdom—which was inaugurated at the Incarnation—in all its fullness.
From the viewpoint of salvation history, the parousia marks the definitive triumph of Christ over sin and death. This triumph was manifested in Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, and can be shared in an inchoate way through sanctifying grace. But it will be fully manifested only at the end of the world. The parousia is the culmination of the history of salvation: The plans of God will reach complete fulfillment, in a renewed universe inhabited by glorious bodies.
Upon assuming human nature, our Lord became the head of the human race. On behalf of mankind, he offered himself to the Father on the cross as a redemptive sacrifice. After the Resurrection, he shows, in his glorious body, his victory over sin and death, and the superabundance of grace for the salvation of mankind. Christ is not only the meritorious cause of man’s reconciliation with God; he is also the efficient-instrumental cause of our salvation as well. Ever since his ascension to “the right hand of God the Father,” his kingship over creation has been manifested in history, drawing all things to himself (cf. Jn 12:32). His attraction or drawing force is shown every time a person becomes a child of God through grace. Divine filiation is a victory that becomes definitive for each person at the moment of death. By dying in fidelity to Christ, man is united to him forever in heaven, and becomes a member of the Church triumphant, enjoying the vision of God. The Church triumphant will reach her perfection and plenitude at the final moment of history, when Christ shall come in power and majesty to judge the world and to communicate all his saving power to the elect through the resurrection of their bodies and the total renovation of the world.
30. Nature of the Second Coming of Christ
As we have seen earlier, Sacred Scripture makes many direct references to the second coming of Christ, or parousia. St. Mark’s description is especially interesting: “You will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mk 14:62). This is obviously related to the prophecy of Daniel: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Dn 7:13).
Equally noteworthy is the whole section of the synoptic Gospels known as the synoptic Apocalypse. It contains descriptions of the coming of Christ in glory and majesty (cf. Mt 24–25; Mk 13; Lk 21). The synoptic Apocalypse contains the following points:
· The prophecy of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem
· The disciples’ questions about that event
· The answer of our Lord
We must bear in mind that the apostles were inquiring about four different matters, which they understood as one because of the prophecy of Daniel. This prophet associated the destruction of Jerusalem with the end of the world (Dn 8:11–13, 16–17). Consequently, when our Lord announced that “there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down” (Mt 24:2), the apostles understood that he was referring to the destruction of the temple and to his second coming at the same time. That is why the disciples asked, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Mt 24:3)
The Gospels, especially St. Matthew’s, report a long conversation between Jesus and his disciples. It begins when Jesus left the temple, and continues while they walk until he sat on the Mount of Olives (cf. Mt 24:1, 3). The Evangelist reports only Jesus’ answers, leaving aside the questions of the apostles. Our Lord deals with four clearly defined issues:
i) The ruin of Jerusalem (cf. Mt 24:21–28)
ii) The signs that will precede the ruin of Jerusalem (cf. Mt 24:4–20)
iii) The end of time (cf. Mt 24:29ff; 25:21ff)
iv) The signs that will precede the end of time and the second coming of Christ (cf. Mt 24:36ff; 24:14; Rom 11:25ff; 2 Thes 2:3)
Sacred Scripture describes the second coming of Christ as the arrival of a king in glory, with all the pageant and solemnity of an official ceremony. Our Lord will be received by people who will go out to meet him as people go out to meet their sovereign. St. Paul says, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thes 4:16–17).
On the other hand, we are told that a new age, the definitive era, will begin. It will be the times of the restoration of all things (cf. Acts 3:21), when God will be “everything to every one” 1 Cor 15:28).
As we said before, the parousia, or second coming of Christ, is called the “day of the Lord” (cf. 1 Cor 8; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thes 5:2; 2 Thes 2:2), meaning the triumph of Christ over all and everything. “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor 15:22–26; cf. Ps 2:9; 110:1).
31. The Signs of the Coming of Our Lord
Some passages of Sacred Scripture read as if the hagiographer saw the parousia as imminent. This is the case of the above-quoted epistle to the Thessalonians (cf. 1 Thes 4:16–18). The Apostle seems to be convinced that he will be still alive at the time of the parousia. We should understand this in the sense that the second coming of Christ should be desired and expected as soon as possible, since it implies the triumph of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God. Thus, we ask in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come” (Mt 6:10).
This is the most probable meaning of the liturgical and biblical expression Maranatha: “Our Lord, come!” (1 Cor 16:22). Others take it as an announcement: “The Lord comes.” In any case, the Apocalypse clearly expresses a desire for the coming of our Lord, which can be only his second coming: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come.’ … He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 22:17, 20).
This desire for the coming of our Lord may be confused with the belief in the imminence of the parousia. St. Peter already sounded a warning: The time will come when people ask, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Pt 3:4). And he gave the answer as well: “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pt 3:8).
In other words, the prophecy of the second coming of our Lord is not explicit about the exact date of the event. Nevertheless, we know that some signs will precede the coming of Christ.
In the first place, the Gospel itself says that cosmic disasters or catastrophes will precede the day of the Lord. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up” (2 Pt 3:10). St. Mark says that “in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. And the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (Mk 13:24–25).
Another sign will be the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world. As St. Matthew says, “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Mt 24:14).
The coming of the glorious Messiah, in a specific moment of history (cf. Rom 11:31), is tied up to the acknowledgment of the Messiah by all of Israel (cf. Rom 11:26; Mt 23:39). Thus, the conversion of the Jews is also included among the signs of the parousia. St. Peter tells the Jews of Jerusalem after Pentecost: “Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old” (Acts 3:19–21). St. Paul affirms: “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (Rom 11:15). And, “Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25–26). The entry of the fullness of the Jews (cf. Rom 11:12) in the Messianic salvation, following the fullness of the Gentiles (cf. Rom 11:25; Lk 21:24), will make the people of God reach “the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13) in which “God may be everything to every one” (1 Cor 15:28).6
Finally, there is a third sign with a double content: general apostasy and triumph of the Antichrist. The Church will have to go through a final test that will shake the faith of many believers (cf. Lk 18:8; Mt 24:12). The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on the earth (cf. Lk 21:12; Jn 15:19–20) will reveal the “mystery of iniquity” under the form of religious deception, which will provide an apparent solution for people’s problems at the price of apostatizing from the truth.
St. Paul reassures the Thessalonians, who worried about the imminent coming of our Lord: “Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion [other versions read apostasy] comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thes 2:3–4).
The supreme religious deception is the Antichrist’s, that is, a pseudo-Messianism in which man will glorify himself, installing himself in the place of God and his Messiah.7
The Kingdom will not be accomplished by a triumph of the Church (cf. Rv 13:8) in the form of a growing historical process, but by a victory of God over evil (cf. Rv 20:7–10) who will make his bride come down out of heaven (cf. Rv 21:2–4). God’s triumph over the rebellion of evil will take the form of a final judgment (cf. Rv 20:12) after the final cosmic destruction of this world (cf. 2 Pt 3:12–13).
Footnotes:
1. Cf. DS 30, 125, 150, 801; CCC, 678–679, 1038–1041.
2. Paul VI, Creed of the People of God, 12.
3. Cf. DS 30, 41, 150.
4. Catechism of the Council of Trent, 1.7.2.
5. Cf. CCC, 1038.
6. Cf. Ibid., 674.
7. Cf. Ibid., 675–677.
We shall now study the last events of the world, that is, what will happen at the end of time. This includes a series of closely related events: the second coming of Christ at the end of time, the final judgment, and the resurrection of the dead. They are usually called last things of the world, or final eschatology.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
27. Christ Will Come Again
The second coming of Christ at the end of time is a truth of faith repeatedly found in Sacred Scripture: “For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and high.… And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled” (Is 2:12–17). “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Dn 7:13). “Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mt 24:30; cf. Mk 13:26; Lk 21:5–36). “Hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 26:64; cf. Ps 110; Mt 16:27). “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thes 4:16). Many other passages of Sacred Scripture attest to this truth (cf. Am 5:18; Zec 9:9; Acts 1:11, 3:20; Jn 21:22; Ti 2:13; 2 Thes 2:8; 1 Tm 6:14).
This truth is repeatedly found in Tradition as well, and has been constantly proclaimed by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, and by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.1 The Creed of the People of God affirms that Christ “ascended into heaven, whence he will come again to judge the living and the dead, each according to his merits. And of his kingdom there will be no end.”2
28. Christ Coming as Judge
The usual formula of the symbols of faith links the Ascension of Christ to heaven with his sitting at the “right hand of God the Father Almighty,” from where he will come to judge the living and the dead, and establish a kingdom without end: the Kingdom of God (cf. Lk 24:51; Mk 16:19; Acts 1:9; 2:33).3
The Sacred Scripture informs us that there are two comings of the Son of God: the one when he assumed human flesh for our salvation in the womb of a virgin; the other when he shall come at the end of the world to judge all mankind. This latter coming is called in Scripture the day of the Lord (2 Pt 3:10). “The day of the Lord,” says the Apostle, “shall come as a thief in the night” (1 Thes 5:2); and our Lord Himself says: “Of that day and hour no one knoweth” (Mt 24:36; Mk 13:31).
In proof of the [final] judgment it is enough to adduce the authority of the Apostle: “We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or evil” (2 Cor 5:10). There are numerous passages of Sacred Scripture [cf. 1 Kgs 2:10; Ps 95:13; 97:9; Is 2:12; Jer 46:10; Dn 7:26; Jl 2:1, 81; Zep 1:7, 14; Mal 4:1; Mt 13:40; Lk 17:24; Acts 1:11; 3:20; Rom 2:16; 1 Cor 15:51; 1 Thes 1:10; 2 Thes 1:10; Rv 20:11] which the pastor will find in various places and which not only establish the truth of the dogma, but also place it in vivid colors before the eyes of the faithful. And if, from the beginning of the world, that day of the Lord, on which he was clothed with our flesh, was sighed for by all as the foundation of their hope of deliverance; so also, after the death and ascension of the Son of God, we should make that other day of the Lord the object of our most earnest desires, “looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God” (Ti 2:13).4
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the resurrection of all the dead—the just and the sinners (cf. Acts 24:15)—will precede the final judgment.5 This will be the time when “all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment” (Jn 5:28–29). Then, Christ will come “in his glory, and all the angels with him.… Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.… And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt 25:31, 32, 46).
29. The Parousia
The second coming of the Lord is also known as parousia, a Greek word meaning “apparition” or “presence.” At the parousia, Christ will appear in power and majesty as judge (cf. Dn 7:13; Mt 16:27; 24:30; 26:64), and establish his Kingdom—which was inaugurated at the Incarnation—in all its fullness.
From the viewpoint of salvation history, the parousia marks the definitive triumph of Christ over sin and death. This triumph was manifested in Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, and can be shared in an inchoate way through sanctifying grace. But it will be fully manifested only at the end of the world. The parousia is the culmination of the history of salvation: The plans of God will reach complete fulfillment, in a renewed universe inhabited by glorious bodies.
Upon assuming human nature, our Lord became the head of the human race. On behalf of mankind, he offered himself to the Father on the cross as a redemptive sacrifice. After the Resurrection, he shows, in his glorious body, his victory over sin and death, and the superabundance of grace for the salvation of mankind. Christ is not only the meritorious cause of man’s reconciliation with God; he is also the efficient-instrumental cause of our salvation as well. Ever since his ascension to “the right hand of God the Father,” his kingship over creation has been manifested in history, drawing all things to himself (cf. Jn 12:32). His attraction or drawing force is shown every time a person becomes a child of God through grace. Divine filiation is a victory that becomes definitive for each person at the moment of death. By dying in fidelity to Christ, man is united to him forever in heaven, and becomes a member of the Church triumphant, enjoying the vision of God. The Church triumphant will reach her perfection and plenitude at the final moment of history, when Christ shall come in power and majesty to judge the world and to communicate all his saving power to the elect through the resurrection of their bodies and the total renovation of the world.
30. Nature of the Second Coming of Christ
As we have seen earlier, Sacred Scripture makes many direct references to the second coming of Christ, or parousia. St. Mark’s description is especially interesting: “You will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mk 14:62). This is obviously related to the prophecy of Daniel: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Dn 7:13).
Equally noteworthy is the whole section of the synoptic Gospels known as the synoptic Apocalypse. It contains descriptions of the coming of Christ in glory and majesty (cf. Mt 24–25; Mk 13; Lk 21). The synoptic Apocalypse contains the following points:
· The prophecy of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem
· The disciples’ questions about that event
· The answer of our Lord
We must bear in mind that the apostles were inquiring about four different matters, which they understood as one because of the prophecy of Daniel. This prophet associated the destruction of Jerusalem with the end of the world (Dn 8:11–13, 16–17). Consequently, when our Lord announced that “there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down” (Mt 24:2), the apostles understood that he was referring to the destruction of the temple and to his second coming at the same time. That is why the disciples asked, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Mt 24:3)
The Gospels, especially St. Matthew’s, report a long conversation between Jesus and his disciples. It begins when Jesus left the temple, and continues while they walk until he sat on the Mount of Olives (cf. Mt 24:1, 3). The Evangelist reports only Jesus’ answers, leaving aside the questions of the apostles. Our Lord deals with four clearly defined issues:
i) The ruin of Jerusalem (cf. Mt 24:21–28)
ii) The signs that will precede the ruin of Jerusalem (cf. Mt 24:4–20)
iii) The end of time (cf. Mt 24:29ff; 25:21ff)
iv) The signs that will precede the end of time and the second coming of Christ (cf. Mt 24:36ff; 24:14; Rom 11:25ff; 2 Thes 2:3)
Sacred Scripture describes the second coming of Christ as the arrival of a king in glory, with all the pageant and solemnity of an official ceremony. Our Lord will be received by people who will go out to meet him as people go out to meet their sovereign. St. Paul says, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thes 4:16–17).
On the other hand, we are told that a new age, the definitive era, will begin. It will be the times of the restoration of all things (cf. Acts 3:21), when God will be “everything to every one” 1 Cor 15:28).
As we said before, the parousia, or second coming of Christ, is called the “day of the Lord” (cf. 1 Cor 8; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thes 5:2; 2 Thes 2:2), meaning the triumph of Christ over all and everything. “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor 15:22–26; cf. Ps 2:9; 110:1).
31. The Signs of the Coming of Our Lord
Some passages of Sacred Scripture read as if the hagiographer saw the parousia as imminent. This is the case of the above-quoted epistle to the Thessalonians (cf. 1 Thes 4:16–18). The Apostle seems to be convinced that he will be still alive at the time of the parousia. We should understand this in the sense that the second coming of Christ should be desired and expected as soon as possible, since it implies the triumph of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God. Thus, we ask in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come” (Mt 6:10).
This is the most probable meaning of the liturgical and biblical expression Maranatha: “Our Lord, come!” (1 Cor 16:22). Others take it as an announcement: “The Lord comes.” In any case, the Apocalypse clearly expresses a desire for the coming of our Lord, which can be only his second coming: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come.’ … He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 22:17, 20).
This desire for the coming of our Lord may be confused with the belief in the imminence of the parousia. St. Peter already sounded a warning: The time will come when people ask, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Pt 3:4). And he gave the answer as well: “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pt 3:8).
In other words, the prophecy of the second coming of our Lord is not explicit about the exact date of the event. Nevertheless, we know that some signs will precede the coming of Christ.
In the first place, the Gospel itself says that cosmic disasters or catastrophes will precede the day of the Lord. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up” (2 Pt 3:10). St. Mark says that “in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. And the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (Mk 13:24–25).
Another sign will be the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world. As St. Matthew says, “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Mt 24:14).
The coming of the glorious Messiah, in a specific moment of history (cf. Rom 11:31), is tied up to the acknowledgment of the Messiah by all of Israel (cf. Rom 11:26; Mt 23:39). Thus, the conversion of the Jews is also included among the signs of the parousia. St. Peter tells the Jews of Jerusalem after Pentecost: “Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old” (Acts 3:19–21). St. Paul affirms: “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (Rom 11:15). And, “Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25–26). The entry of the fullness of the Jews (cf. Rom 11:12) in the Messianic salvation, following the fullness of the Gentiles (cf. Rom 11:25; Lk 21:24), will make the people of God reach “the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13) in which “God may be everything to every one” (1 Cor 15:28).6
Finally, there is a third sign with a double content: general apostasy and triumph of the Antichrist. The Church will have to go through a final test that will shake the faith of many believers (cf. Lk 18:8; Mt 24:12). The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on the earth (cf. Lk 21:12; Jn 15:19–20) will reveal the “mystery of iniquity” under the form of religious deception, which will provide an apparent solution for people’s problems at the price of apostatizing from the truth.
St. Paul reassures the Thessalonians, who worried about the imminent coming of our Lord: “Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion [other versions read apostasy] comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thes 2:3–4).
The supreme religious deception is the Antichrist’s, that is, a pseudo-Messianism in which man will glorify himself, installing himself in the place of God and his Messiah.7
The Kingdom will not be accomplished by a triumph of the Church (cf. Rv 13:8) in the form of a growing historical process, but by a victory of God over evil (cf. Rv 20:7–10) who will make his bride come down out of heaven (cf. Rv 21:2–4). God’s triumph over the rebellion of evil will take the form of a final judgment (cf. Rv 20:12) after the final cosmic destruction of this world (cf. 2 Pt 3:12–13).
Footnotes:
1. Cf. DS 30, 125, 150, 801; CCC, 678–679, 1038–1041.
2. Paul VI, Creed of the People of God, 12.
3. Cf. DS 30, 41, 150.
4. Catechism of the Council of Trent, 1.7.2.
5. Cf. CCC, 1038.
6. Cf. Ibid., 674.
7. Cf. Ibid., 675–677.