When Will Jesus Return? What the First Christians Believed

The early church believed that Jesus was going to come back in their generation.  When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he addressed their concern that some were dying before Jesus came back to set up His kingdom.  The people of Thessalonica feared that their dead friends would not be able to partake in the great hope and see Jesus reign with them.  So Paul wrote to them and told them not to worry because their friends would rise from the dead to meet Jesus in the air with us who are alive.  And then having been raised from the dead, God would set up His kingdom with us all - no Christian would be missing from this great event.

Meanwhile in Judah and in other parts of the world a rumor was going around that Jesus would come back before the Apostle John died.  The rumor, which began shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven, spread through different parts of the world because people read into something Jesus said to John after his resurrection and before his ascension.   After Jesus rose from the dead and after Peter had just been reconciled to him and called back into ministry, Jesus told Peter that one day something would carry him (referring to a cross).  Peter was crucified upside down years later.  Having been told of his future, Peter asked Jesus about John.  In effect, Jesus told Peter that it was none of his business, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me (John 21:22).” 

As I just said, Jesus was telling Peter to mind his own business; but it wasn't long before people began to read into Jesus' words.  They began reading into his words what they wanted to hear: "I will come back before John dies."  Because the early church was so excited about Jesus' return, and because they wanted to that to happen soon, they began seeing it in places they should not have.  This reading into events and words and scripture has never changed.  People still find Jesus' soon return in a myriad of places, events, and times.  People still find in scripture, interpret the world's tragedies, and read the signs of the times.  And in those Bible verses, tragedies, and signs; people find what they hunger for so much.  They find that Jesus is in fact coming very soon.  However, their zeal and their longing do not make it happen.

On the other hand there were those in the early church who had grown tired of waiting for the coming of Jesus and gave up their hope, saying, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation (2 Peter 3:4).”  In response, Peter told his readers that despite the fact that Jesus' return didn't take place as soon as was expected, Jesus will come when He is good and ready; and that Jesus was just wanting to get as many as possible into the Kingdom of God beforehand.  The conclusion I draw from 2 Peter is that Peter had very little respect for people who had lost their hope in Jesus coming back.

So how do we find a healthy and a godly balance?  How can we be excited and filled with hope and yet face the reality that Jesus may wait another 2,000 years?  This is every generation's challenge.