Early Christian Beliefs About Christ’s Coming

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching

“If therefore Scripture compels you to admit that two advents of Christ were predicted to take place,—one in which He would appear suffering, and dishonoured, and without comeliness;

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

...st as the prophets showed two conditions belonging to Christ, they also foretold the same number of advents. One, and the first, was to be in lowliness. In it, He had to be led like a sheep to be slain as a victim, and to be like a lamb silent before the shearer, not opening His mouth, and not fair to look upon. For, says the prophet, "We have announced concerning Him: He is like a tender plant, like a root out of thirsty ground. He has no form nor comeliness. And we beheld Him, and He was without beauty. His form was disfigured, marred more than the sons of men, a man stricken with sorrows, and knowing how to bear our infirmity." He was placed by the Father as "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense," Isaiah 8:14, made by Him "a little lower than the angels," and declaring Himself to be "a worm and not a man, a reproach of men, and despised by the people." Now these signs of degradation fit His first coming well, just as the tokens of His majesty fit His second advent. Then He will no longer remain a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Instead, after His rejection, He will become the chief corner-stone, accepted and raised to the highest place of the temple, that is,

Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching

But His advent being signified to them as twofold — the one which should discharge the office and example of a man, the other which should avow Him as God — they did not understand the first advent which preceded, as being hidden in His passion, but believe in the one only which will be manifest in power.

Caius, Fragments Supporting witness

And hence, although different points are taught us in the several books of the Gospels, there is no difference as regards the faith of believers, inasmuch as in all of them all things are related under one imperial Spirit, which concern the Lord's nativity, His passion, His resurrection, His conversation with His disciples, and His twofold advent, — the first in the humiliation of rejection, which is now past, and the second in the glory of royal power, which is yet in the future.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

For since it is so arranged by God that the same Christ should twice come to the earth, once to announce to the nations the one God, then again to reign, why do they who did not believe in His first advent believe in the second?

Titus 2:13 Supporting witness

looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Colossians 3:4 Supporting witness

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist Direct teaching

...two prophets and forerunners of the Lord have finished their course, and the whole world is finally coming to its end, what remains except the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from heaven, for whom we have looked in hope? He will bring fire and righteous judgment on all who have refused to believe in Him. For the Lord says, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near." And, "Not a hair of your head shall perish." For, "As the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also shall the coming of the Son of man be." For, "Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together." Now the fall took place in paradise, for Adam fell there. And He says again, "Then shall the Son of man send His angels, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds of heaven." And David also, speaking prophetically about the judgment and coming of the Lord, says, "His going forth is from the end of heaven, and His circuit to the end of heaven, and no one is hidden from its heat." By the heat he means the conflagration. And Isaiah speaks this way: "Come, my people, enter into you

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching

but the other, in which He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians, who, having learned the true worship of God from the law, and the word which went forth from Jerusalem by means of the apostles of Jesus, have fled for safety to the God of Jacob and God of Israel;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Direct teaching

and those who declared regarding Him, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced,” indicated His [second] advent, concerning which He Himself says, “Thinkest thou that when the Son of man cometh, He shall find faith on the earth?” Paul also refers to this event when he says, “If, however, it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you that are troubled rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with His mighty angels, and in a flame of fire.” Others again, speaking of Him as a judge, and [referring], as if it were a burning furnace, [to] the day of the Lord, who “gathers the wheat into His barn, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire,” were accustomed to threaten those who were unbelieving, concerning whom also the Lord Himself declares, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which my Father has prepared for the devil and his angels.” And the apostle in like manner says [of them], “Who shall be punished with everlasting death from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of His power, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in those who believe in Him.” There are also some [of them] who declare, “Thou art fairer than the children of men;” and, “God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows;” and, “Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

Antichrist is coming, but above him comes Christ also.1 The enemy goes about and rages, but immediately the Lord follows to avenge our sufferings and our wounds.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

And then shall the Lord come, and all His saints with Him, with a great concussion above the clouds, with the angels of His power, Matthew 16:27 in the throne of His kingdom, to condemn the devil, the deceiver of the world, and to render to every one according to his deeds.

Matthew 24:30 Supporting witness

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 Supporting witness

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

Revelation 1:7 Supporting witness

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 1:10 Supporting witness

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

Matthew 25:31 Supporting witness

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Mark 13:26 Supporting witness

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Revelation 22:20 Supporting witness

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Direct teaching

Christ has, to our wonder, been made known among us to be the Son of the living God, and to have become man in these last times by means of the Virgin Mary, of the seed of David and Abraham, according to the announcements previously made regarding Him and through Him by the company of the prophets, we therefore beseech and entreat that, by thy wisdom, Maris our friend, bishop of our native Neapolis, which is near Zarbus, and Eulogius, and Sobelus the presbyter, be sent to us, that we be not destitute of such as preside over the divine word as Moses also says, “Let the Lord God look out a man who shall guide this people, and the congregation of the Lord shall not be as sheep which have no shepherd.”

Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians (Long Version) Supporting witness

but, as less than any of you, I desire to guard you beforehand, that ye fall not upon the hooks of vain doctrine, but that you may rather attain to a full assurance in Christ, who was begotten by the Father before all ages, but was afterwards born of the Virgin Mary without any intercourse with man.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Direct teaching

and in the glorious advent of the Son of God, who of the Virgin Mary took flesh, and endured sufferings and death in our stead, and came to resurrection on the third day, and was taken up to heaven;

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...phets, and the same people by His own incarnation from the Virgin; those a little before His bodily appearing through John His forerunner, and the same people by that same man after Christ's birth, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matthew 3:2; and those after His passion through us, the twelve apostles, and Paul, the chosen vessel. Therefore we, who have been counted worthy of the favor of being witnesses of His appearing, together with James the brother of our Lord, and the other seventy-two disciples, and his seven deacons, have heard from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with exact knowledge declare what the will of God is, that good and acceptable and perfect will, Romans 12:2, which is made known to us by Jesus: that none should perish, but that all men with one accord should believe in Him, and with one mind send praise to Him, and by that means live forever.

Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. James Supporting witness

So that by His holy, good, and glorious appearing, He may sanctify this bread and make it the holy body of Your Christ.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background

A Prayer Commemorative of the Incarnation of Christ, and His Various Providence to the Saints.

Matthew 1:18 Supporting witness

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Luke 2:11 Supporting witness

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Matthew 1:23 Supporting witness

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Galatians 4:4 Supporting witness

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

John 1:14 Supporting witness

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Direct teaching

and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensationsof God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father “to gather all things in one,” and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, “every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess” to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all;

Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist Direct teaching

...st the saints; and how he will glorify himself as God; and what his end will be; and how the sudden appearing of the Lord will be revealed from heaven; and what the burning of the whole world will be; and what the glorious and heavenly kingdom of the saints will be, when they reign together with Christ; and what the punishment of the wicked by fire will be.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

He is called Christ on this account, because He Himself will come from heaven at the end of this dispensation to judge the world, and, having raised the dead, to establish for Himself an everlasting kingdom.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Supporting witness

and now we look for His appearing from heaven in glory for the life and judgment of all, when the resurrection of the dead shall take place, to the end that recompense may be made to all according to their desert.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Supporting witness

We acknowledge the passion of the Lord in the flesh, the resurrection in the power of His divinity, the ascension to heaven, and His glorious appearing when He comes for the judgment of the living and the dead, and for the eternal life of the saints.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

...ile some are even now close to the crown of victory. But all whom danger has enclosed together in a glorious company are eager to carry on the struggle with the same common zeal of courage, as is fitting for the soldiers of Christ in the divine camp. Let no attractions deceive the uncorrupted firmness of your faith, no threats terrify you, and no sufferings or tortures overcome you, because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. Nor can earthly punishment do more to cast down than divine protection can do to lift up. This truth is proved by the glorious struggle of the brothers who, after becoming leaders for the rest by overcoming their tortures, gave an example of courage and faith. They fought in the contest until the contest itself gave way, being overcome. With what praises can I commend you, most courageous brothers? With what public proclamation can I exalt the strength of your hearts and the perseverance of your faith? You have endured the sharpest trial by torture, even to a glorious end. You have not yielded to sufferings, but rather the sufferings have yielded to you. The end of the torments, which the tortures themselves did not give, the crown has g

Hebrews 9:28 Supporting witness

so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

1 Corinthians 15:23 Supporting witness

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

2 Peter 3:10 Supporting witness

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Revelation 22:12 Supporting witness

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

To this we answer, that our union does thus rest upon a reason, or rather not upon a reason, but upon the divine working, so that its commencement was God's teaching men, in the prophetical writings, to expect the advent of Christ, who was to be the Saviour of mankind.

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

Now it is not one of the prophets merely who predicted the advent of Christ.

Julius Africanus, Extant Writings Supporting witness

That the passage speaks then of the advent of Christ, who was to manifest Himself after seventy weeks, is evident.

Tertullian, An Answer to the Jews Supporting witness

Let us see, therefore, how the years are filled up until the advent of the Christ: —

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Supporting witness

For this reason John, the herald of the Word, besought men to make themselves ready against the coming of the Christ of God.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...ophers among the Greeks, and the wise men among the Barbarians besides, were ignorant of the future coming of the Lord and of the mystic teaching that was to be delivered by Him. Therefore prophecy was right, in proclaiming the Lord, not to seem to some to blaspheme while speaking what was beyond the ideas of the multitude. So it clothed its declarations in expressions capable of leading to other conceptions. Now all the prophets who foretold the Lord's coming, and the holy mysteries accompanying it, were persecuted and killed. The Lord Himself also, in explaining the Scriptures to them, used parables. His disciples did the same, preaching the word like Him and subsequently to His life. From this also Peter, in his Preaching, says, speaking of the apostles: "But we, unrolling the books of the prophets which we possess, which name Jesus Christ partly in parables, partly in enigmas, partly expressly and in so many words, find His coming and death, and cross, and all the rest of the tortures which the Jews inflicted on Him, and His resurrection and assumption to heaven before the capture of Jerusalem. As it is written, These things are all that He ought to suffer, and what should b

1 Peter 1:11 Supporting witness

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

Matthew 2:4 Supporting witness

and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Malachi 3:1 Supporting witness

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 9:6 Supporting witness

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.