The Second Coming
Throughout Christian history, interpretations of the Second Coming have varied widely, but the popular modern idea of a sudden dramatic coming preceded by a “rapture” event is actually a recent development, and not rooted in the Bible. Far older and more consistent with both Scripture and Christian traditions is the view that the Second Coming represents a gradual awakening of Christ’s life within humanity. Rather than expecting a sudden removal of believers or a single cataclysmic event, this view understands the Kingdom of God as unfolding progressively through history, transforming individuals and societies from within. This perspective aligns with Jesus’ own parables, the teachings of the Christian prophet Edgar Cayce, and the testimony of countless near-death experiences that describe a collective spiritual maturation rather than a dramatic escape. This gradual, transformative expectation was also the dominant view of the early Church. For the first 1,800 years of Christian histor...