Early Christian Belief in Christ’s Two Advents
Early Christian writers taught that Christ would come twice: first in lowly suffering, then again in glory and judgment. Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Hippolytus, and Lactantius say this clearly, and they connect it to Bible passages like Isaiah 53, Matthew 24, Hebrews 9:28, and Titus 2:13. This page focuses on direct early Christian teaching, not later summary or modern explanation. Some related cards only echo the language, so the main claim is strong but the surrounding details vary.
133 early-church witnesses · 220 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about the Advents of Christ?
Early Christian writers taught that Christ’s coming was twofold: first in humility, suffering, and hiddenness, and later in glory, judgment, and open power. Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Hippolytus, and Lactantius all say this in clear terms, and they tie it to prophecy from the Bible. The strongest evidence is broad and repeated across the 2nd and 3rd centuries, with the same pattern also reflected in early liturgical and confessional language.
A few cards are only loose echoes or unrelated uses of “advent,” but they do not change the main conclusion. The evidence is strongest for a two-advent framework, while details about timing and related end-time events are more mixed. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Hippolytus, and Lactantius all describe Christ’s coming as two advents.
- The first coming is linked to suffering, humility, and the flesh; the second is linked to glory, judgment, and public ظهور/appearing.
- Bible passages most often used with this teaching include Isaiah 53, Hebrews 9:28, Titus 2:13, Matthew 24:30, and Revelation 1:7.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians teach that Christ came twice?
Multiple early Christian writers state that the prophets foretold two advents of Christ. They describe the first as lowly and suffering, and the second as glorious and future.
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Direct teaching
...ind leads the blind, they fall into the ditch together. We affirm that, just 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 corne
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Hebrews 9:28 Direct teaching
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.
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1 Peter 1:11 Direct teaching
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.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1 Direct teaching
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
Did the early Christians say Christ’s first coming was in suffering and humility?
The sources consistently say the first advent was hidden, lowly, and marked by suffering, dishonor, and the flesh. Several explicitly contrast this with the later glorious coming.
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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;
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Tertullian, An Answer to the Jews Direct teaching
We affirm, two characters of the Christ demonstrated by the prophets, and as many advents of His forenoted: one, in humility (of course the first), when He has to be led as a sheep for a victim;
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
“And it was prophesied by Jacob the patriarch that there would be two advents of Christ, and that in the first He would suffer, and that after He came there would be neither prophet nor king in your nation (I proceeded), and that the nations who believed in the suffering Christ would look for His future appearance.
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
O unreasoning men! understanding not what has been proved by all these passages, that two advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in which He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonoured, and crucified;
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
For when they read with what great power and glory the Son of God was about to descend from heaven, but on the other hand saw Jesus humble, peaceful, of low condition, without comeliness, they did not believe that He was the Son of God, being ignorant that two advents on His part were foretold by the prophets: the first, obscure in humility of the flesh;
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Justin Martyr, The First Apology Direct teaching
For the prophets have proclaimed two advents of His: the one, that which is already past, when He came as a dishonoured and suffering Man;
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Direct teaching
...thing, at an inappropriate time with observances beyond the law, yet do not recognize the coming of Christ, which He fulfilled for the salvation of humanity, nor are they willing to understand that all the prophets announced His two comings: the first, in which He became a man subject to suffering, knowing what it is to bear infirmity, rode on a donkey's colt, was a stone rejected by the builders, was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and destroyed Amalek by the stretching forth of His hands; while He gathered the scattered children from the ends of the earth into His Father's fold, remembered His own who had previously fallen asleep, and came down to deliver them. The second coming will be on the clouds, bringing a day that burns like a furnace, striking the earth with the word of His mouth, and slaying the impious with the breath of His lips, with a fan in His hands to clean His floor, gathering the wheat into His barn, but burning the chaff with unquenchable fire.
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
Since, therefore, the first advent was prophetically declared both as most obscure in its types, and as deformed with every kind of indignity, but the second as glorious and altogether worthy of God, they would on this very account, while confining their regards to that which they were easily able both to understand and to believe, even the second advent, be not undeservedly deceived respecting the more obscure, and, at any rate, the more lowly first coming.
More related quotations from this section 1 shown
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Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist Supporting witness
= deficient) above all men; a man smitten and familiar with bearing infirmity, (for His face was turned away);
Did early Christians expect Christ to come again in glory?
The sources say Christ’s second advent would be glorious, visible, and tied to judgment and the gathering of believers. The Bible texts in this set describe His appearing a second time, His coming in glory, and the saints being gathered to Him.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Supporting witness
...ur salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the plans of 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 anew all flesh of the whole human race, so that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Savior, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue should confess" to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that He may send "spiritual wickednesses," and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, unrighteous, wicked, and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, holy, and those who have kept His commandments, and persevered in His love, some from the beginning of their Christian journey, and others from the time of their repentance, and may surround them with ev
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
Now it escaped the notice of Celsus, and of the Jew whom he has introduced, and of all who are not believers in Jesus, that the prophecies speak of two advents of Christ: the former characterized by human suffering and humility, in order that Christ, being with men, might make known the way that leads to God, and might leave no man in this life a ground of excuse, in saying that he knew not of the judgment to come;
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
In the preceding pages we have already spoken of this point, viz., the prediction that there were to be two advents of Christ to the human race, so that it is not necessary for us to reply to the objection, supposed to be urged by a Jew, that the prophets declare the coming one to be a mighty potentate, Lord of all nations and armies.
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Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist Supporting witness
44. For as two advents of our Lord and Saviour are indicated in the Scriptures, the one being His first advent in the flesh, which took place without honour by reason of His being set at nought, as Isaiah spoke of Him aforetime, saying, We saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness, but His form was despised (and) rejected (lit.
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Hippolytus, Treatise on Christ and Antichrist Direct teaching
44. For the Scriptures show that there are two comings of our Lord and Savior. The first was His coming in the flesh. It took place without honor, because He was treated with contempt. As Isaiah said about Him beforehand, "We saw Him, and He had no form nor beauty. But His form was despised and rejected above all men. He was a man struck down and familiar with bearing weakness, for His face was turned away. He was despised, and not valued." Isaiah 53:2-5 But His second coming is announced as glorious. Then He will come from heaven with the army of angels and the glory of His Father, as the prophet says, "You shall see the King in glory." Isaiah 33:17 And, "I saw one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient of Days, and he was brought to Him. And there were given to Him dominion, honor, and glory, and the kingdom. All tribes and languages shall serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away." Thus, two forerunners were also shown. The first was John the son of Zacharias. In every way he appeared as a forerunner and herald of our Savior, preaching about the heavenly light that had appeared in the world. He first f
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Direct teaching
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?
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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.
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Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness
so also my Lord Jesus Christ, who is the truly perfect one, at His coming will first send on before Him His glory, and the consecrated heralds of an unstained and untainted kingdom: and then the universal creation will be moved and perturbed, uttering prayers and supplications, until He delivers it from its bondage.
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
...all generations, and He will always exist through all generations. But David also gave witness that Christ, after His passion and resurrection, was about to ascend to God the Father, in these words in Psalm 109: "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool." Since this prophet was himself a king, whom could he call his Lord, who sat at the right hand of God, except Christ the Son of God, who is King of kings and Lord of lords? And Isaiah shows this more plainly when he says: "Thus says the Lord God to my Lord Christ, whose right hand I have held: I will subdue nations before Him, and I will break the strength of kings. I will open gates before Him, and the cities shall not be closed. I will go before You and make the mountains level. I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and shatter the bars of iron. And I will give You the hidden and invisible treasures, so that You may know that I am the Lord God, who calls You by Your name, the God of Israel." Finally, because of the goodness and faithfulness that He showed toward God on earth, there was given to Him a kingdom, and glory, and dominion. And all peoples, tribes, and languages wi
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
Jacob the patriarch prophesied about two comings of Christ. In the first, He would suffer, and after this, your nation would have neither prophet nor king, while the nations who believed in the suffering Christ would await His future appearance. For this reason, the Holy Spirit revealed these truths in a parable, though not clearly. It is said, "Judah, your brothers praise you; your hands will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will worship you. Judah is a young lion; from the beginning, my son, you have risen. He rests like a lion, and like a young lion: who will rouse him? A ruler will not depart from Judah, nor a leader from his descendants, until what is stored up for him arrives; and he will be the desire of nations, tying his foal to the vine, and his donkey's foal to the vine's tendril. He will wash his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will sparkle with wine, and his teeth will be white as milk." Furthermore, in your nation, there were always prophets or rulers from the beginning until Jesus Christ appeared and suffered, a fact you cannot shamelessly deny or prove otherwise. While you claim that Herod, during whose reign He suf
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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.
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness
..., they did not believe that He was the Son of God. They did not know that the prophets had foretold two comings of His: the first hidden in the humility of the flesh, and the other openly revealed in the power of His majesty. David speaks of the first in Psalm 72: "He shall come down like rain upon a fleece; and in His days righteousness shall spring forth, and abundance of peace, as long as the moon is lifted up." For just as rain, if it falls on a fleece, cannot be noticed because it makes no sound, so he said that Christ would come to the earth without drawing anyone's notice, so that He might teach righteousness and peace. Isaiah also spoke in this way, in Isaiah 53:1-6: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We made proclamation before Him as children, and as a root in a thirsty land. He has no form nor glory; and we saw Him, and He had no form nor beauty. But His form was without honor, and marred beyond the rest of men. He is a man acquainted with grief, and knowing how to endure weakness, because He turned His face away from us; and He was not esteemed. He carries our sins, and He endures pain for us; and we thought that He Himse
More related quotations from this section 11 shown
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Titus 2:13 Supporting witness
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
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Colossians 3:4 Supporting witness
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Supporting witness
...y will be said to have been predestined before this predestination of Christ to glory. And on those terms Christ is found to be lower than other men, although He is actually found to be better and greater, and more ancient than the angels themselves. Either then let all these things be set aside, so that Christ’s divinity may be destroyed; or if these things cannot be set aside, let the heretics attribute Christ’s proper divinity to Him.
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Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness
...y will be said to have been predestined before this predestination of Christ to glory. And on these terms Christ is found to be inferior to other men, although He is truly found to be better and greater, and more ancient than the angels themselves. Either, then, let all these things be set aside, so that Christ’s divinity may be destroyed; or if these things cannot be set aside, let the heretics attribute His proper divinity to Christ.
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Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness
...ap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall be eloquent.” Since the prophet says that at God's coming these would be the signs that come to pass, let men acknowledge either that Christ is the Son of God, at whose coming and by whom these wonders of healing were performed; or else, overcome by the truth of Christ's divinity, let them rush into the other heresy. Refusing to confess Christ to be the Son of God, and God, let them declare Him to be the Father. For, being bound by the words of the prophets, they can no longer deny that Christ is God. What, then, do they reply when those signs are said to be about to take place at the coming of God, and yet were shown at the coming of Christ? In what way do they receive Christ as God? As God the Father, or as God the Son? If as the Son, why do they deny that the Son of God is God? If as the Father, why do they not follow those who seem to hold blasphemies of that kind? Unless perhaps, in this dispute with them about the truth, this is enough for us for the present: that, being convinced in some way, they should confess Christ to be God, since they have even wished to deny that He is God. He says through Habakkuk the prophet: “God
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
...ng of my Christ, then when you ascribe to Him the infliction of the judgments which come before His appearing, you are compelled also to assign to Him the blessings which come from the same event. If, on the other hand, you insist that it is the coming of your Christ, then when you ascribe to him the blessings which are to be the result of his coming, you are obliged to impute to him likewise the infliction of the evils which come before his appearing. For the evils which come before, and the blessings which immediately follow, the coming of the Son of Man are both alike inseparably connected with that event. Consider, therefore, which of the two Christs you choose to place in the person of the Son of Man, to whom you may refer the execution of the two divine arrangements. You make either the Creator a most beneficent God, or else your own god terrible in his nature! Reflect, in short, on the picture presented in the parable: "Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they produce their fruit, men know that summer is at hand. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is very near." Luke 21:29-31 Now, if the fruiting of common trees
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness
...n; and those who declared about Him, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced,” indicated His second coming, about which He Himself says, “Do you think that when the Son of man comes, He will find faith on the earth?” Paul also refers to this event when he says, “If it is a righteous thing with God to repay trouble to those who trouble you, and to you who 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, speaking of Him as a judge, and referring to the day of the Lord as if it were a burning furnace, who “gathers the wheat into His barn but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire,” were accustomed to warn those who were unbelieving, concerning whom also the Lord Himself declares, “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which my Father has prepared for the devil and his angels.” And the apostle in the same way 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 who declare, “You are fairer th
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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.
Common Questions
Did early Christians teach that Jesus would come twice?
Yes. Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Hippolytus, and Lactantius all speak of two comings or two advents of Christ.
How did early Christians describe the first coming of Christ?
They described it as humble, suffering, dishonored, and in the flesh.
How did early Christians describe the second coming of Christ?
They described it as glorious, public, and tied to judgment and the gathering of believers.
Which Bible passages did they connect to the two advents?
Common passages include Isaiah 53, Hebrews 9:28, 1 Peter 1:11, Matthew 24:30, Titus 2:13, and Revelation 1:7.
Source Index for the Advents of Christ
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 220 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 133
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 87
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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