By So the first claim of man that we’ve seen is that it is supposedly very near. But wait, there’s more! This allegedly imminent return is also said to be invisible or secret. But is this supported by the biblical evidence?
A few verses are suffice to show that the concept of a “secret” or “invisible” return of Jesus before His actual return is untenable (abridged for space):
“‘…This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11).
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God…” (1 Thess. 4:16a).
The fact of the matter is, the Bible knows and speaks of only one return of Jesus Christ at the end of time. Thus, for centuries it has been almost universally referred to as the Lord’s “Second Coming.” This “coming” is spoken of in the NT as being not only the next one, but the last one.
With that in mind, and in light of the above passages, we see that this coming will not be secret or silent, but audible and visible to all! Hence, Paul frequently referred to it not as the Lord’s “coming,” but the Lord’s “appearing” (cf. 1 Tim. 6:14; Tit. 2:13).
