I’ve got the Second Coming doctrine on my mind, and I can’t shake it.

So—let’s talk.

Most Christians believe it. It is ensconced in Scripture, in the Apostle’s Creed, and in the rubric for Holy Communion.

Preachers in mainline churches seldom mention it. Some conservative preachers talk of little else. Turn on the TV preachers and count how often you are told we are in the “End Times.” (And be sure to use your money before Jesus comes.)

So, the doctrine gets at least lip service from preachers afraid to talk about it—and a lot of talk time from preachers who think every earthquake brings us closer to the end.

But the church in general seems unsure why Jesus is coming back.

Paul has a rather pleasant picture. He says the Lord will return to take us all home to heaven.

“We will not all die,” he says, “but we will all be changed… [and] the dead will be raised.”

Revelation has a grislier picture. Jesus rides in on a white horse and cuts off the heads of his enemies.

The Revelation author makes sure we get the Messiah people expected in the first place: a military leader who will cast out the ugly Romans and rule the world from Jerusalem.

This fairly well cancels the Jesus of the Gospels—the man of sacrificial grace who told us to love our enemies.

Even Paul was wrong. He said, “We will not all die.” He expected Jesus to return in his lifetime.

Help me here. Why do you think Jesus will return?

Or did he mean it when he said from the cross, “It is finished”?

Drop me an e-mail. I’ll share responses next week.