THE MYSTERY OF THE TWO COMINGS OF CHRIST

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The Bible, particularly the Old Testament, is filled with references to the coming Messiah, with over 1,800 verses pointing to His arrival. For centuries, the Jewish people have awaited the fulfillment of these prophecies. If you were to ask a devout Jew today about the Messiah’s character, they would likely describe Him as a conquering king, someone who will rule over Jerusalem and bring peace to Israel.

However, their understanding, while partially correct, is incomplete. All Bible prophecies in the Old Testament about the birth of the Messiah (first coming), were all fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. But many Jews do not recognize Him as such. They are still waiting for the promised Deliverer, unaware that He has already come once and will come again for the second time. This misconception is due to the fact that the Scripture portrays two different pictures of the Messiah: one as a conquering King and the other as a suffering Servant. This leads us to the “Mystery of the Two Comings” of Christ.

In the Old Testament, there are two prominent portrayals of the Messiah:

The Conquering King: A ruler who reigns with authority and establishes peace.
The Suffering Servant: A humble figure who suffers and is rejected by His people.

Even Jewish rabbis acknowledge these two pictures, comparing the Messiah to two Old Testament figures: King David, the great ruler of Israel, and Joseph, the beloved son who was betrayed and later exalted. These two roles are complementary and point to the mystery of the Messiah’s two comings: first as a suffering Servant to save humanity from sin, and second as a conquering King to establish His eternal kingdom.

The Jewish people were well-versed in the prophecy of a king who would come from the line of David. This expectation is based on prophecies such as Isaiah 9:6-7, which declare that the Messiah would reign on David’s throne:

Isaiah 9:6-7
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

From this passage, we see that the Messiah will not only be a son (human) born of the lineage of David, but He will also be called “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father,” signifying His divine nature. This prophecy points to the dual nature of the Messiah: fully human and fully divine.

The New Testament confirms that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. In Acts 2:30 and Romans 1:3, we are told that Jesus is a descendant of David according to the flesh. He was born into the world as a human, yet He was and is the eternal God. The Jews, however, focused primarily on the conquering king aspect of the Messiah and overlooked the suffering servant prophecy.

While the Jews eagerly anticipated the conquering king, the Bible also foretold the coming of the Messiah as a suffering servant. This is beautifully captured in Isaiah 53:2-5, where the Messiah is described as one who would be rejected and would suffer for the sins of His people:

Isaiah 53:2-5
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

This prophecy presents a stark contrast to the image of a conquering king. Here, the Messiah is not victorious in battle but suffers rejection and pain for the sake of His people. This suffering Servant is the Messiah who would die for the sins of the world, fulfilling God’s plan of redemption.

The story of Joseph, found in the book of Genesis, foreshadows the life of Jesus in several remarkable ways:

Joseph was the beloved son of his father, just as Jesus is the beloved Son of God.
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold for silver, just as Jesus was betrayed by Judas for silver coins.
Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned, as Jesus was falsely accused and sentenced to death.
Joseph was exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh, given authority over Egypt. Similarly, Jesus was exalted to the right hand of God after His resurrection, given authority over heaven and earth.
Joseph took a Gentile bride, just as Jesus’ bride, the Church, includes Gentiles.
During a time of famine, Joseph’s brothers came to him for help. At first, they did not recognize him, but later, Joseph revealed himself to them, and they were reconciled with many tears. This is a picture of what will happen when Jesus returns. Zechariah 12:10 says that Israel will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will recognize Him as their Messiah.

Even the disciples of Jesus were confused about the nature of the Messiah. They, like most Jews, expected a conquering King who would deliver Israel from Roman oppression. When Jesus began to speak of His suffering and death, they struggled to understand. In Matthew 16:21-23, Peter even rebuked Jesus for speaking about His impending death, showing that the idea of a suffering Messiah was foreign to their expectations.

John the Baptist, who initially proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God, also had doubts when Jesus did not fulfill the role of a conquering king. In Luke 7:19, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” This question reveals the widespread misunderstanding of the Messiah’s mission.

After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples still asked Him if He would now restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). They were still expecting the Messiah to fulfill the role of the Son of David and establish an earthly kingdom. However, they did not yet understand that the Messiah’s first coming was as the suffering Servant, and His second coming would be as the conquering King.

The Bible clearly teaches that the Messiah will come twice. In His first coming, Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering Servant, dying on the cross for the sins of the world. In His second coming, He will return as the conquering King to judge the world and establish His eternal kingdom.

In Luke 4:18-20, when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue, He quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2 but stopped in the middle of the passage. He read:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus stopped before the next part of the verse, which speaks of “the day of vengeance of our God.” This omission signifies that the day of vengeance, or the judgment, will come with His second coming. The first part of the prophecy, concerning salvation and freedom, was fulfilled in His first coming. The second part, concerning judgment and the establishment of His kingdom, will be fulfilled when He returns.

The world has already seen the Messiah as the suffering Servant, but soon it will witness His return as the conquering King, the Son of David. At that time, He will take this world by force, and the judgment of God will fall upon the earth. The question for each of us is: Do we know which side we are on? Have we recognized Jesus as the Messiah, not only as the suffering Servant who died for our sins but also as the coming King who will rule in glory?

The mystery of the two comings should compel us to examine our hearts and ensure that we are prepared for His return. The Messiah is coming again, and when He does, He will fulfill every prophecy, not as the humble servant but as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Are you ready for His return? Now is the time to place your faith in Him, for the day of His second coming is drawing near.